Penguins Look For Florida Sweep To Start Season

The Pittsburgh Penguins opened their regular season by beating the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions 6-3 on the road. A win at Tampa Bay is impressive on its own, but a road win without their dynamic duo of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin is that much more notable. Tonight, the Penguins look to complete a Florida sweep as they take on the Panthers.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

This game opened with the Panthers as modest chalk at -130, but it didn’t take long for early money to back the Florida home squad and that line has now jumped to -175 for the Panthers. The total opened at 6.5, but that has also dropped and is now 6. Pittsburgh will once again be without Crosby and Malkin and will most likely try to avoid a shootout with the Panthers.

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Pittsburgh News & Notes 

Without Crosby and Malkin in the lineup, Pittsburgh must rely on its forward depth to score goals. In their opener against the Lightning, the Penguins played Jeff Carter and Bryan Rust a combined 40 minutes, with each player recording a point.

Kris Letang is suiting up for his 14th season in the NHL and continues to log a lot of ice time for the Pens. The offensively gifted defenseman played over 25 minutes against Tampa Bay and recorded a pair of assists.

Tristan Jarry had an impressive regular season last year, making 38 starts and ending the year with a 2.75 goals-against average and .923 save percentage. However, in the first round of the playoffs, the netminder struggled with a save percentage below .900 for the series as his Penguins were bounced by the New York Islanders in six games. Against the Lightning, Jarry made 26 of 28 saves, holding the talented Tampa forwards to just two goals.

Florida News & Notes

Most hockey fans are very familiar with Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau, who have turned into full-fledged NHL stars. However, what makes the Panthers forward group so impressive is their depth. Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart give the Panthers two extremely talented top lines capable of playing both ends of the ice.

It will be interesting to see how the goaltending situation in Florida plays out. Sergei Bobrovsky is starting the third year of his seven-year, $70-million contract, but it is Spencer Knight who is projected to be the goalie of the future and some think maybe the goalie of right now. Knight is still considered a rookie after getting into a handful of games last year, including two impressive starts against Tampa Bay in the playoffs.

The biggest addition to the Panthers lineup this offseason was the return of all-star caliber defenseman Aaron Ekblad. The 25-year-old suffered a broken leg last year, ending his season early, but he returned in time for training camp and by all accounts looks ready for another impactful year.

How Pittsburgh Will Win 

The Penguins already have their legs underneath them and could use that advantage to try to get off to a quick start. Pittsburgh will not want to match offensive chances with a healthy and deep Panthers team, especially without Crosby, Malkin and Jake Guentzel (COVID-19) in the lineup. Expect the Pens to play a classic road game with patience and tight checking the top priorities. Some timely saves and a little bit of puck luck could see the Penguins come out of Florida with four points.

How Florida Will Win 

Florida will want to press offensively, knowing the depleted Pens don’t have the firepower to compete with the top six Panther forwards. Barkov and his linemates will not have to match up with Crosby or Malkin; instead they will be asked to shut down Jeff Carter, Bryan Rust and Danton Heinen, which on paper seems very doable for them. Florida has a definite advantage when it rolls out a second line that includes Huberdeau and Sam Bennett. With some decent goaltending to support the offense, the Panthers could find themselves with two points after their Sportsbook night.

Computer Pick: Penguins +155

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