Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon sport
Anaheim Ducks vs Pittsburgh Penguins: Can the Penguins beat somebody?
The Pittsburgh Penguins are hosting the Anaheim Ducks today at PPG Paints Arena.
Can the Ducks be competitive this season?
The Anaheim Ducks are 12th in the Western Confernece with a 4-4-1 record including 2-3-1 on the road. After losing back-to-back games to the Rangers and the Devils, the Ducks won 3-1 against the New York Islanders in the last one. Anaheim is sixth in the league allowing 2.78 goals per game while they are 30th scoring 2.33. Troy Terry leads the team with 8 points so far in the season.
The Penguins are of to a terrible start
The Pittsburgh Penguins are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 3-7-1 record, including 1-3-0 at home. They are on a six-game losing streak and are coming off a 5-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild. The Penguins are 19th in the league scoring 3 goals per game and are at the bottom of the league allowing 4.27. Evgeni Malkin leads the team with 14 points so far in the season.
Betting Trends
The Penguins are 0-6 SU in their last 6 games overall, 2-4 SU in their last 6 home games and 11-4 SU in their last 15 games against Anaheim. Pittsburgh has played over the total goal line in 4 of their last 5 games overall, 5 of their last 7 games against teams from the Western Conference and 5 of their last 7 games against teams from the Pacific Division. The Ducks are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games overall, and 1-5 SU in their last 6 games against the Penguins. Anaheim has played under the total goal line in 4 of their last 5 games overall and 4 of their last 6 games against teams from the Eastern Conference.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Pittsburgh Penguins had a terrible start to the season being stuck at the bottom of the East and currently have the longest active losing streak in the league. The pressure is sky-high in Bridge City, and Mike Sullivan may be on a hot seat. The Anaheim Ducks are not much better, but at least they are moving in the right direction. This will be their fourth game on the East Coast road trip, which is not a promising situation. The Penguins will finally respond while having their backs against the wall and win the game tonight.
