Pittsburgh comes into this game off a 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils. With the win, the Penguins are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games. With a total record of 30-15-12 on the season, Pittsburgh sits second in the Metropolitan Division, and top 10 in the NHL. Even with an injury to captain Sidney Crosby, which will take him out of action for at least four weeks, the Penguins looked strong in his absence. Just a week away from the trade deadline, general manager Kyle Dubas has a lot of decisions to make on a team that was expected to be near the bottom of the league and instead is pushing for the top. 

As has been the story this season, the Penguins got production from all around their lineup. While franchise icon Evgeni Malkin recorded two assists, new addition Egor Chinakhov continues to shine on what is now the Penguins’ top line. With a goal against New Jersey, Chinakhov has nine goals and 13 points through 19 games with Pittsburgh. Defenceman Connor Clifton was another highlight against the Devils. He’s gone from being a fringe seventh D option and turned himself into a solid, reliable third-pair defenceman capable of shutting down the opposition and laying the body. He picked up the game-winning goal against the Devils on Thursday night. 

In net, expect Stuart Skinner to get the start on the first half of a back-to-back set. Skinner is 8-4-1 with the Penguins this season. After a slow start, he settled into Pittsburgh, going 4-0-1 in his last five starts.  However, at this point, it is a good time for our disclaimer. Please check social media for the latest roster updates before locking in your daily fantasy starters.

Rangers Story

This has been the season of nightmares for the New York Rangers. Expected to get back to excellence, the Rangers have instead faltered even further than last season and find themselves dead last in the Eastern Conference. New York comes into this game off a 3-2 loss in overtime to the Philadelphia Flyers, dropping a 2-0 lead before losing in extra time. With the loss, New York is 2-7-1 in their last 10, and tied with the St. Louis Blues as the second-worst team in the NHL. With the trade deadline coming up and the trade of Artemi Panarin complete, the Rangers will look to move off more of their veteran roster in the hopes of getting younger going forward. 

Past Panarin, the Rangers are led in scoring by forward Mika Zibanejad. Where the rest of the veteran group of New York has come up short production-wise, Zibanejad has seen a resurgence in his play. He’s scored 23 goals and 52 points in 57 games this season.  A focal point of this season has been the play of Alexis Lafrenière. The former first overall pick has firmly placed himself in bust territory with his lacklustre play this season.  He’s scored just 13 goals and 33 points in 58 games. Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller, both of whom are expected to be shopped prior to the deadline, have also struggled. Trochek has just 12 goals and 37 points in 44 games, while Miller has 14 goals and 36 points in 49 games. 

In net, expect Igor Shesterkin to get the start. The Russian superstar has played well considering the lacklustre effort in front of him. He is 17-12-5 this season with a .912 save percentage. 

Prediction

The Penguins, even without their captain, are flying following a break that gave them time to heal up on wounds. New York, meanwhile, seems as deflated as they did before the Olympics started. Expect Pittsburgh to continue rolling on with a victory in this game. 

NHL Prediction: Penguins win 2-1

Prop Bet of the Night

The Penguins are playing disciplined, solid defensive hockey. However, it’ll be hard to run up the score against a goalie like Shesterkin. Expect a low-scoring game, in which a popular prop bet of goals under-4 with odds of +440 is a good bet. 

Main Photo Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

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