At some point, we have to ask the question if the Pittsburgh Penguins are stuck in a slump or if they’re just a pedestrian team.
After starting the season 6-7-3, the Pens went on their annual ripper through the holidays, posting a 13-2-2 record from Nov. 17 until the Christmas break. That hot streak got tongues wagging about the Penguins being a legitimate contender to win the Stanley Cup and potentially win the Metropolitan Division, but the team has fallen on rough times once again, going 5-7-3 over their last 15 games.
In other words, we’ve seen the Penguins have two long stretches of decidedly mediocre hockey sandwiched around one hot run.
The Pens will be welcomed back from the All-Star break by the red-hot Colorado Avalanche.
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Avalanche vs. Penguins prediction
(7 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
The Avalanche have also battled some long stretches of mediocrity this season, but most of that seems to be in the rear-view mirror for now. Colorado won seven of eight heading into the hiatus and looks set to charge up the Central Division ladder as we head down the stretch.
A big reason for Colorado’s turn of fortune is that the Avalanche are finally getting close to full strength. Valeri Nichushkin and Bowen Byram have both been cleared to play, meaning that the “only” impact players in the press box for Colorado at this point are Gabriel Landeskog and Josh Manson.
With healthy bodies joining the fray, Colorado’s offense has started to trend up considerably over the last few weeks. Over their last 10 games Colorado is scoring 3.43 goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5, which is the second-best mark in the NHL in that span.
Colorado’s speed and ability in transition should present a pretty tricky problem to solve for the Penguins, who are allowing 2.73 goals per 60 minutes over their last 10 games and scoring just 2.11. Pittsburgh’s 5-on-5 play has been bad, but the Penguins are not getting any help from the goaltending as Tristan Jarry is injured and Casey DeSmith has been out of form for quite some time.
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At this point of the season it’s fair to wonder how much Pittsburgh’s core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Jake Guentzel have left in the tank. All four are exceptional players, but they’re being asked to do too much on a team that lacks depth and needs to score consistently to provide cover for suspect netminding.
This looks like a dreadful matchup for the Penguins out of the break and the betting market is giving the home team too much respect against a sleeping giant.
Avalanche vs. Penguins pick
Avalanche -110