The Pittsburgh Penguins will host the Florida Panthers on Saturday afternoon. Like a lot of the teams in the Metropolitan Division, the Penguins are in the thick of the playoff race. They are sitting in second place in the Metropolitan Division with a 3-point cushion over the New York Islanders. Although they have the cushion, they can’t afford to kick their feet up and get comfortable. The standings have been jockeying all season long and that will continue right up until the end of the regular season. The Penguins are one of the best offensive teams in the league, averaging 3.46 goals per game. The Panthers, on the other hand, are below average offensively — averaging only 2.92 goals per game. They are also one of the worst defensive teams, averaging 3.29 goals against per game.
The Penguins should already be in playoff hockey mode, as every point from now until the end of the season matters. I expect a dominant performance from the Penguins on home ice. Give me them on the money line.
Panthers vs Penguins prediction: Pittsburgh ML (-220) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.