Adam Williams presents his prediction for the NHL match.
In the last six games, both teams have followed an identical pattern: three losses followed by three wins. However, someone will need to step aside now. But who will it be?
Pittsburgh Penguins
The previous week was the most successful in the current season for the Penguins, as they secured three consecutive victories. Before that, they had only faced unsuccessful streaks, including a six-game winless run and a three-game losing streak. The Penguins face issues both in attack (averaging only 2.73 goals per game) and defence. The main concern is the latter: they rank 31st, conceding an average of 3.77 goals. In this positive series, they only exceeded their goals against average in the first match against the Vancouver Canucks (5:4). In the subsequent two games, they conceded fewer: the Boston Bruins (2:1) and Calgary Flames (6:2).
Florida Panthers
The Pittsburgh Penguins will have the opportunity to score more, as the Panthers' goalkeeper Sergei Bobrovsky will be absent. However, there's no need to worry. Firstly, Bobrovsky and his wife are expecting a new addition to their family, and secondly, Spencer Knight in goal isn't bad at all. Currently, the backup's stats are even better than the Russian's. His very poor first match against the Buffalo Sabres (2:5) is behind him (turning in an 84.6% save rate and some clear goals against him), and his save percentage hasn't dipped below 87% since. In his most recent match against the Carolina Hurricanes, he secured his first shutout of the season (6:0), a rare feat against the Hurricanes. Bobrovsky, on the other hand, has had his lapses, with two consecutive games in November. Perhaps the anticipation of the significant family event affected his performance.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Florida Panthers Prediction
The Pittsburgh Penguins' leaders, Sidney Crosby (1+4 and +1) and Evgeni Malkin (0+3 and −4), haven't been as effective in their last five games, and the goalkeepers have been inconsistent. Therefore, with the quality of their lineup, the Florida Panthers should be able to halt the Penguins' winning streak and come out on top.
