Pittsburgh Penguins at Tampa Bay Lightning 12/23/2014 Free NHL Picks & Predictions
by Tony Sink - 12/22/2014
Tuesday, December 23, 2014 at 7:30 PM ET
Amalie Arena in Tampa
For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here
The Pittsburgh Penguins will be going on the road on Tuesday to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning in a game that will feature two of the top five offenses in the NHL.
Earlier this month, the Penguins were able to beat the Lightning 4-2 on home ice. The Lightning lost that game despite looking better on the power play and finishing with 30 shots to Pittsburgh's 26.
In his 31 games against the Lightning, Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has gone 16-10-3 with two shutouts, a .912 save percentage and a 2.38 GAA. Center Sidney Crosby has 13 goals and 22 assists in his 26 career games against Tampa Bay, while Evgeni Malkin has 36 points and a plus/minus of +8 in his 28 games against them.
The Lightning lost for the fourth time in their last five games on Saturday when the New York Islanders beat them 3-1 on the road. They were 0-for-2 on the power play in that loss and only ended up with 21 shots on goal.
Despite their recent struggles, the Lightning are still one of the top scoring teams in the league by averaging 3.2 goals per game. Center Steven Stamkos has 19 goals through 35 games this season and he’s assisted on 17 more. Big goalie Ben Bishop has a 16-6-2 record this year with one shutout, a 2.35 GAA and a .913 save percentage.
Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Trends
Pittsburgh Penguins are 22-10-0 Against the Spread
Pittsburgh Penguins are 13-16-0 against the Over/Under
Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Trends
Tampa Bay Lightning are 20-15-0 Against the Spread
Tampa Bay Lightning are 19-15-0 against the Over/Under
Injuries to Watch
Pittsburgh Penguins
12/20/14 D Christian Ehrhoff Undisclosed is downgraded to expected to miss 3 games
12/20/14 RW Craig Adams Undisclosed "?" Monday vs Florida
12/20/14 D Paul Martin Undisclosed out indefinitely
12/20/14 D Robert Bortuzzo Upper Body "?" Monday vs Florida
12/11/14 D Olli Maatta Shoulder out indefinitely
12/10/14 RW Beau Bennett Knee out indefinitely
12/03/14 C Scott Wilson Leg expected to miss 2-3 weeks
11/18/14 RW Pascal Dupuis Blood Clot out for season
11/01/14 D Derrick Pouliot Shoulder out indefinitely
Tampa Bay Lightning
12/20/14 GO Ben Bishop Lower Body "?" Tuesday vs Pittsburgh
10/06/14 D Mattias Ohlund Knee out indefinitely
Tony's Pick: Take Tampa Bay
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