2019-20 NHL – Pittsburgh Penguins @ Boston Bruins Preview & Pick
THE FACTS
When is Pittsburgh Penguins @ Boston Bruins taking place? Friday 17th January, 2020 – 00:00 (UK)
Where is Pittsburgh Penguins @ Boston Bruins taking place? TD Garden, Boston
What channel is Pittsburgh Penguins @ Boston Bruins on? Premier Sports
Where can I stream Pittsburgh Penguins @ Boston Bruins? Premier Sport subscribers can stream this match live via Premier Player
Where can I get tickets for Pittsburgh Penguins @ Boston Bruins? https://www.nhl.com/tickets
What was the outcome in the last meeting? Pittsburgh Penguins 4 – 6 Boston Bruins
THE TEAM NEWS
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
- The Penguins extended their winning streak to four games with a 7-3 win over the Minnesota Wild the last time out which means they have dropped just one game over their last five. Pittsburgh’s impressive run has them in third place of the Eastern Conference standings with 63 points out of 46 games.
- Justin Schultz and Nick Bjugstad have both been listed as game-time decisions for the Penguins, while Brian Dumoulin and Jake Guentzel have been ruled out and have plenty of time left to recover. Guentzel, in fact, could only return if Pittsburgh makes a deep playoff run.
- Sidney Crosby couldn’t have wished for a more dominant performance in his return to action, as he grabbed four points in his previous outing. He might have missed more than two months, but he should be the team’s most important player going forward and currently has six goals and 21 points in only 18 contests.
BOSTON BRUINS
- The Bruins remain second in the Eastern Conference standings with 66 points out of 48 games, but they are trending in the wrong direction of late. Their 3-0 away loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets the last time out pushed their losing streak to two games, but they still own a 3-2 mark over their last five contests.
- Star goaltender Tuukka Rask is dealing with concussion-like symptoms and right now he should be deemed as questionable ahead of this matchup. Defencemen Kevan Miller and Connor Clifton have both been ruled out but the latter could return later this week, or the following one at the latest.
- David Pastrnak might have just one goal in his last three outings, but the right winger remains one of the top scoring threats in the league. He is already up to 36 goals (and 66 points overall) in only 48 games and ranks as the NHL’s highest scorer to date.
THE PREDICTION
Undoubtedly, these are two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference and we could be in line for a star-studded matchup featuring some of the best players in the world in Crosby, Pastrnak and Evgeni Malkin, just to name a few. However, Pittsburgh enter this game on stronger form than Boston, as the Penguins are on the heels of a four-game winning streak, while the Bruins are enduring a two-game losing run. Pittsburgh also own a stronger attack (161 goals scored against Boston’s 159) and a stingier defence (125 goals allowed against the Bruins’ 128). All signs point towards Pittsburgh extending their winning streak despite playing on the road.
