Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the NHL match.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Andrei Vasilevskiy regained confidence by shutting out Dallas (4:0). The Big Cat stopped all 25 shots on goal and secured the first shutout of the season. For Tampa, this is an impressive reinforcement. The Lightning lacked a goalkeeper who could single-handedly secure victories in the face of mediocre team performance.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh lost twice in a row in the Pennsylvania derby (3:4 SO and 1:2 OT). The power play units still look toothless. Not only are they inexplicably inefficient (10.4%), but they also regularly allow scoring chances when losing the puck. This is surprising, considering that Pittsburgh is one of the few teams that use two defenders in the first power play unit.
Tampa Bay Lightning – Pittsburgh Penguins prediction
The teams faced each other just under a week ago. At that time, Pittsburgh won 4:2, but in terms of gameplay, Tampa was more dangerous and deserved more. The Lightning players unleashed 41 shots on goal and controlled 59% of xG in equal lineups. If a similar scenario repeats, I strongly doubt that the Penguins can win solely through special units.
I believe that Tampa will take revenge for the recent defeat. I take the victory of the hosts.
