The Utah Hockey Club faces the Pittsburgh Penguins with both teams looking to improve on rough seasons. Utah is 7-9-3 and with three losses in a row, they have the third-worst record in the Central Division. The Penguins have a 7-11-4 record and only three wins in the last 10 games have them in last place in the Metropolitan Division. Which team will come out on top on Saturday night? Check out our Utah vs Penguins prediction!
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Utah hopes to improve on offense
The Utah Hockey Club is having a rough season with their offense letting them down, scoring only 2.58 goals per game with only four goals in the last three games. Clayton Keller, Dylan Guenther, and Nick Schmaltz have combined for 13 goals and 30 assists to lead the top two lines but the rest of the offense has struggled. Only four skaters have five goals or more and opponents can eliminate the hapless offense as a result.
The offense has let them down but the defense has also struggled, allowing 3.32 goals per game. Michael Kesselring and Mikhail Sergachev have combined for 5.5 defensive point shares but the rest of the unit has struggled, allowing opponents to find open shots on the net at will. The one bright spot has been the play of goaltender Karel Vejmelka who has a .922 save percentage and a 2.37 goals-against average on 219 shots with 4.6 goals saved above average.
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Penguins have struggled on both ends of the ice
The Penguins are having a season to forget with their offense playing poorly and scoring only 2.67 goals per game. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Rickard Rakell have scored 19 goals and 32 assists to lead the top two lines but the rest of the offense has struggled. Only six skaters have four goals or more and opponents can limit the top-heavy offense with ease.
The offense has struggled but the defense has let the Penguins down, allowing 3.86 goals per game with 26 goals in the last six games. Marcus Pettersson and Erik Karlsson have combined for 5.7 defensive point shares but the rest of the unit has struggled, allowing opponents to find open shots on the net with ease. In addition, goaltender Tristan Jarry has struggled with a .863 save percentage and a 4.72 goals-against average on 146 shots with -5.6 goals saved above average.
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Insiders Status:
The Penguins are having a rough season and Utah looks to take advantage and control this game from the first period. Utah looks to constantly find the back of the net against the Penguins, who allow 3.86 goals per game, with Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, and the rest of the forward unit carrying the puck into the offensive zone and creating open shots with quick passes. Utah also looks to limit the Penguins offense, which averages only 2.67 goals per game, with Michael Kesselring, Mikhail Sergechev, and the rest of the defensive unit creating turnovers in the defensive zone and limiting shots on the net, allowing goaltender Karel Vejmelka to make plenty of big saves. Utah should win this game with a strong performance on the road.
Take the Penguins money line as road Favorites.
Insiders Status:
Both teams have been awful on defense and this game looks to be a high-scoring one from the first period. The Penguins should pile on the goals against Utah, which allows 3.32 goals per game, with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and the rest of the forward unit establishing an offensive zone presence and creating open shots with effective puck movement. Utah looks to run up the score against the Penguins, who have allowed 26 goals in the last six games, with Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, Dylan Guenther, and the rest of the forward unit crashing the net on the rush and creating open shots with effective puck movement to overwhelm the Penguins defense. The Over should cover in a high-scoring game with both offenses stepping up.
Take the Over on 6.5 goals.
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Mayer Fink , “Mike Fink”
Mike Fink is a sports writer and a passionate football fan. After graduating from college, Fink picked up the passion he had since being a young child in following and covering all things sports and we are very excited to have him as a part of the StatSalt team. In recent weeks, Mike started a podcast which you can find on Spotify, called “The Mike and Grover Show” and it discusses all things football. He covers all forms of sports betting and also bets on all of the plays he gives out. Mike would advise hockey betting since the odds give you great payouts “Hockey is built to bet the Money Line Underdogs. Be sure and follow him on a daily basis.
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