Pittsburgh vs. Tampa Bay. NHL Match Prediction and Bets

Current form

Pittsburgh continues to be in terrible shape, losing to almost all opponents on its way. Another series of defeats has reached four games in a row, although it is worth noting that in almost each of them they managed to cling to points. After an unsuccessful performance away to Pittsburgh (2:4), the team went to visit Florida, where they were one step away from success due to the realized majority just 40 seconds before the final whistle. It came down to a series of shootouts, where they still had to lose (2:3). Then the penguins met Carolina and already at the end of the starting segment they took an advantage of two goals, which they were unable to maintain. Once again, the match went into overtime, where the Hurricanes still turned out to be stronger. Returning to the home arena, they also failed to achieve the desired result. Sullivan men conceded a goal just two minutes before the final whistle, allowing Columbus to tie the score, which ultimately led to another loss (2:3).

The club was able to break the losing streak in a match with a much more serious opponent, Edmonton, which was a big surprise. The Penguins finally fully realized their attacking potential, and in particular, it is worth praising forwards Crosby and Rast, who scored three points each. Goalie Nedeljkovic also made a huge contribution to the success, reflecting 40 shots out of 43. It was expected that Pittsburgh would be able to confidently cope with Ottawa as well, but this time the team did not even score a single puck, losing dry (0:5). Out of 29 shots, not a single one hit the target. As you can see, the team shows very unstable results, which does not even allow it to rise to the playoff zone, the gap from which is only two points.

Disqualifications and injuries

Pittsburgh has St. Ivany and Tomasino in the infirmary, and Malkin is also questionable for the upcoming match.

Interesting trends for betting

• On average, Pittsburgh allows 3.7 goals per game.

The club main problem remains its terrible defensive play.

• On average, a team receives 6.9 penalty minutes per game.

On the other hand, the Penguins are known for their good discipline and rarely get penalties.

Current form

It seems that Tampa Bay has finally started to recover from its slump, as it has been steadily earning points for three games in a row. The team ended its failed three-game road series, which began with a loss to San Jose (1:2). The offensive line showed its worst side, and in just three periods they made 25 shots at the goal of the obvious underdog. Away from Los Angeles, the Lightning had to lose with the same score 1:2, but this time the Lightning showed a much more active game in attack and consistently created pressure on the Kings, although there were serious problems with the implementation of shots. In the final meeting, the club met with Anaheim and this time suffered a rout (1:4). Goalie Johansson showed his worst side, reflecting only 88: shots.

The Lightning managed to break the losing streak at home, where they met Carolina in the first game and played much more reliably, winning with a score of 3:2. Goalkeeper Vasilevskiy showed an excellent game, reflecting 93 shots. and did not allow the Hurricanes to make a comeback. The team consolidated its success in the second home game with Boston, defeating an opponent of its level with a score of 4:1. The attack line showed its best side, and in particular, it is worth praising Kucherov and McDonough, who scored two points each. The short home series came to an end and Tampa went to visit New Jersey, where, unfortunately for the fans, it was unable to win a third victory in a row, suffering an offensive defeat in overtime (2:3). Even despite the lost points, the club continues to remain in the playoff zone, since due to the recent long winning streak it was able to seriously strengthen its position. The team is currently in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings, with 47 points.

Disqualifications and injuries

Tampa has no problems with the squad. Only Moser is in the infirmary.

Interesting trends for betting

• Tampa Bay is allowing an average of 3.65 goals per game.

The Lightning are distinguished by their very effective attacking play.

• On average, a team receives nine penalty minutes per match.

But Lightning has problems with discipline, which leads to frequent deletions.