The Pittsburgh Penguins continue their road trip as they visit the Utah Hockey Club at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Welcome back to NHL Predictions here at Last Word on Hockey! Each day, we provide in-depth analysis, insights, and predictions for all the NHL’s games. In tonight’s matchup, the Penguins aim to rebound from a bad stretch, while Utah looks to push in the Western Conference wildcard race.
Time: 9:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)
TV: TNT; MAX; SN360; TVAS; SN-PIT
This is the second and final meeting between these teams this season. In their previous encounter on November 24, 2024, Utah secured a dominant 6-1 victory over Pittsburgh. In this second matchup, the Penguins visit the Delta Center for the first time in Utah’s history.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are 20-24-8, sitting second-worst in the Eastern Conference. Additionally, they sit seventh-worst in the entire league. Captain Sidney Crosby continues to perform like the star he is. He’s scored 53 points in 52 games. Rickard Rakell has turned himself into an interesting trade piece with his rebound season. He has 42 points in 51 games with 23 goals. A team needing a top-six winger could value Rakell greatly at the NHL trade deadline.
The goaltending situation in Pittsburgh has been rocky at best. Tristan Jarry is in the AHL, where he’s been relatively struggling for his talent level. In the NHL, Alex Nedeljkovic and Joel Blomqvist have both struggled behind a defensively lacking Penguins team. Expect Blomqvist to get a start, as he looks to improve his 3-7 record.
In Utah’s inaugural season in their new home, the Hockey Club is 21-21-7. Sitting at exactly .500, they’re six points out of the second wild-card spot. Although their qualifying for the playoffs is unlikely, they possess some elite talent that could help in a winning streak down the stretch. Clayton Keller has blossomed into a superstar, scoring 54 points in 48 games. Behind him, Logan Cooley has gotten better year after year and has 42 points in 49 games. Even Barrett Hayton has had a good run as of late.
In net, Karel Vejmelka and Connor Ingram have had an interesting dichotomy. Vejmelka holds a losing record of 11-14-3. However, he also has a .912 save percentage, well above the league average. Connor Ingram on the other hand, has an 8-6-3 record, sitting above .500 with a less than league average .880 save percentage. Regardless of the starting netminder, Pittsburgh will likely find it difficult to score as there hasn’t been as much depth scoring as the organization had hoped from this roster.
Given the Penguins recent struggles and Utah’s previous success against them, the Utah Hockey Club have the upper hand in this matchup. Especially considering that Utah is playing on home ice.
Prediction: Utah wins 5-3
For bets of the night, FanDuels has the total goals over at 7 with+200 odds. The Penguins offence led by Crosby and Rakell is likely good for a few goals. On the other hand, Utah has a plethora of young offensive talent hungry to continue proving themselves.
Main Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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