Credit Image: \u00a9 Dirk Shadd\/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Press Wire<\/p>\n
Penguins Story<\/p>\n
Pittsburgh comes into this game off a 6-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. With the loss, Pittsburgh has lost five out of their last six games, and are 4-3-3 in their last 10. With an overall record of 32-18-5, the Penguins have fallen hard from the comfortable playoff positioning they were in just a few weeks ago. Now they are tied with the New York Islanders for second in the Metropolitan Division, while the red-hot Columbus Blue Jackets trail both teams by just two points. Still without Sidney Crosby<\/a> and Evgeni Malkin<\/a>, Pittsburgh is in a precarious position, where their surprisingly good season could go by the wayside just at the end of the regular season. Against Utah, the Penguins are going to have to put their best foot forward to gain a much-needed two points. \u00a0<\/p>\n The biggest positive to take from this stretch may be the play of defenceman Erik Karlsson<\/a>. Karlsson has stepped up as a leader for the team, both offensively and defensively. Even though he failed to record a point against Vegas, Karlsson continues to generate offence and was all over the ice against the Golden Knights. Rookie Benjamin Kindel<\/a>, who had gone cold for a stretch, scored a goal against the Golden Knights. He\u2019s up to 16 goals and 31 points through 63 games this season. Defenceman Ryan Shea<\/a> has been another positive. He picked up two assists against the Golden Knights and is up to four goals and 27 points on the season. In what\u2019s been a positive season for the Penguins, Shea has been one of the biggest surprises. He\u2019s established himself as an NHL regular and will be a pivotal piece against the Mammoth.\u00a0<\/p>\n With Arturs Silovs<\/a> appearing in the loss, expect Stuart Skinner<\/a> to come back in net for Pittsburgh. Skinner boasts an 8-5-4 record with a .891 save percentage with the Penguins this season. However, now is a good time to remind you to always confirm lineups before placing any sort of bets.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mammoth Story<\/p>\n Utah comes into this game off a hard-fought 3-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks in overtime. With the loss, the Mammoth are 5-3-2 in their last 10 games. Their overall record of 34-26-6 places them in the top wildcard spot in the West. In any other division, this team would have a chance to break into a divisional spot; however, Utah is 14 points behind the Minnesota Wild for the third-place spot in the Central Division. That being said, this is an exciting season for the Mammoth, who look to make their playoff debuts as a young upstart team.\u00a0<\/p>\n Utah has countless weapons in their arsenal, starting with forward Dylan Guenther<\/a>. Guenther scored a goal against Chicago and has 31 goals with 56 points in 64 games. The Mammoth are led in scoring by Clayton Keller<\/a>. The former seventh overall pick has 19 goals and 64 points in 66 games. Another forward to look out for is Nick Schmaltz<\/a>, who has been freshly extended<\/a>. Schmaltz has 24 goals and 59 points in 66 games. The organization has depth on defence too, with Mikhail Sergachev<\/a> leading the way in defensive scoring. He\u2019s produced 10 goals and 43 points in 62 games from the back end.\u00a0<\/p>\n