Between their home games, the Pittsburgh Penguins will make a one-day trip to Massachusetts, where they will face another test of their play-off credentials.
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins have to worry much more about their place in the Eastern top eight – they are only two points ahead of the ninth-placed Washington Capitals. However, Marco Sturm’s team have played three games fewer. The German coach no longer has to deal with an injury crisis, but taking only 50% of the available points both after the Olympic tournament and throughout February has not allowed them to secure their play-off spot. Their penalty kill is also letting them down (27th in the league).
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins, by contrast, have the third-best power play in the league (26.8%), and on 1 March they confirmed their quality: two of their five unanswered goals against the Vegas Golden Knights came with a 5-on-4 advantage. They did this without Sidney Crosby. Dan Muse’s team are well balanced, with ten different players scoring, so their dependence on the veterans has decreased. The Vegas Golden Knights came into that game as favourites, but they were barely noticeable. Since the break, they have not lost in regulation in any of their three matches. They are firmly in the top three of their division.
Boston Bruins vs Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction
In January, in the first meeting between these teams, one side also failed to score: the Boston Bruins won thanks to a single goal midway through the first period and 27 saves from Joonas Korpisalo. With a 16:7:6 record and that confidence boost, the Pittsburgh Penguins should be able to take this one to overtime.
