The Penguins take on the Mammoth in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Welcome back to NHL Predictions here on Last Word On Hockey! Each day, we provide in-depth analysis, insights, and predictions for all the NHL’s games. Pittsburgh and Utah both look to build some momentum inching closer to the halfway point of the season.
NHL Predictions Utah Mammoth versus Pittsburgh Penguins
Head-to-Head: Mammoth 0-0 Penguins
Time: 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)
How to Watch: Sportsnet+, SN-PIT, Utah16
Featuring two players destined for the Olympics, Sidney Crosby and the Penguins host JJ Peterka and the Mammoth. Crosby will hope to bring home the gold for Team Canada. Meanwhile, Peterka is one of the high-end offensive forces for the German squad.
Penguins Story
Pittsburgh comes into this game off an embarrassing 6-5 loss in overtime to the San Jose Sharks. The Penguins, having lost three straight prior, went up 5-1 in the third period before blowing the lead and losing in overtime. The team is now 4-3-3 in their last 10, and have found themselves out of the playoff line for the first time in over a month. The biggest worries regarding the Penguins team have come true, with defensive collapses and uninspiring play when the game matters most. it seems as though this Pittsburgh squad is getting back to the expectation for this season, being a bottom-of-the-league team in the lottery race.
Captain Sidney Crosby played a good game against the Sharks, his pair of points giving him 34 on the season in 30 games. Winger Anthony Mantha also played well, scoring a goal and two assists against San Jose. With Arturs Silovs having started yesterday, it is the debut game of Stuart Skinner for Pittsburgh following a trade from the Edmonton Oilers. Veteran defenceman Brett Kulak is also expected to play his first game in a Penguins uniform against the Mammoth. Kulak is known for solid defensive play, and likely slots into the third pair against Utah.
Mammoth Story
Utah comes into this game of a 5-3 win against the Seattle Kraken. Even with that win, they’ve been struggling as of late with a record of 3-7-0 in their last 10. Their 15-15-3 record places places them just two points out of the playoffs, behind the San Jose Sharks for the second wildcard spot in the West. Offence has been a highlight for the Mammoth, their 101 goals for placing them in the top 10 in the league. However, their 18th-best goals against figure of 97 goals against could spell trouble against a high-scoring Pittsburgh team.
Utah’s offence is led by a veteran and a young nucleus. Nick Schmaltz leads the way with 12 goals and 29 points in 33 games. Behind him, young guns Clayton Keller, Dylan Guenther, JJ Peterka and Logan Cooley take up the next four spots on the teams points-leaders list. All four have produced at a good level, each of them scoring in the double digits for goals and 23+ points. However, Utah needs their young stars to develop further, as the core group all have the potential to produce at a point per game or higher level. In net, expect Karel Vejmelka to get the start. Vejmelka is 13-9-2 with an .896 save percentage this season. The Mammoth defence will need to insulate their goaltender, especially if the Pens get some chances on the power play.
NHL Prediction
The Penguins defence has let them down time and time again over the past dozen or so games. Expect the high-octane offence of the Mammoth to overpower one in this game for a much-needed win.
NHL Prediction: Mammoth Win 4-2
Prop Bet of the Night
With two high scoring teams involved, expect another high scoring game in this one with that a popular prop bet of goals over seven with odds of +194 to be a good bet.
Main Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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The post NHL Predictions: Dec 14 Utah Mammoth vs Pittsburgh Penguins appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.