Tampa Bay Lightning (22-15-2) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (18-17-8)
January 12, 2025 5:00 pm EDT
The Line: Pittsburgh Penguins 120 / Tampa Bay Lightning -142; Over/Under: 6.5
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In this article, we will formulate a Lightning vs Penguins Prediction for this NHL game on Sunday, January 12th at the PPG Paints Arena. Let’s take a look at a Tampa Bay Lightning vs Pittsburgh Penguins Pick.
Penguins Looked Awful
The Penguins faced off against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday at home and it was an ugly game. The Penguins scored a grand total of zero goals while the defense gave up five goals and that led to the defeat. Alex Nedeljkovic was in goal and he saved 12 of the 17 shots before he paced. The Penguins did manage 30 shots on goal, but it wasn’t enough. Two games ago against the Edmonton Oilers they were able to secure the 5-3 victory and they are going to need the offense to be better.
The Penguins are averaging 3.07 goals while their defense is giving up 3.65 goals per game. The offense is ranked 14th in the league while the defense is ranked 32nd. They are averaging only 28.4 shots per game which is 16th in the league. Sidney Crosby has scored 17 goals and added 32 assists so far this season. Getting the start for the Penguins is expected to be Tristan Jarry and he sits with an 8-6-4 record and he’s giving up 3.34 goals per game. They are going to need him to be good here. After this game, Pittsburgh will welcome the Seattle Kraken to town.
Lightning on Tired Legs
The Lightning are going to be on tired legs after their game on Saturday against the New Jersey Devils. On Thursday, the Lightning faced off against the Boston Bruins, and they scored four goals, and that was enough for the three-goal victory. The Lightning scored two goals each in the second and third period and that was enough for the victory.
The Lightning are averaging 3.69 goals while their defense is giving up 2.74 goals per game. The offense is ranked 1st in the league while the defense is ranked 8th. They are shooting 12.9 percent which is second-best in the league. In this game if they are able to get out to a fast start that would really help their chances. Nikita Kucherov has scored 17 goals and added 41 assists so far this season. Andrei Vasilevsky is expected to get the start in goal for the Lightning he sits with an 18-12-1 record and he is averaging 2.36 goals per game.
Lightning vs Penguins Prediction
Give me the Lightning here. The Lightning are the much better team and they are averaging 3.69 goals per game. That offense is the first in the NHL and the Penguins are going to have no answer. The Penguins defense is giving up 3.61 goals and that type of offense isn’t going to be enough to get the job done. The Penguins won’t score more than a goal and the Lightning are going to come out on top. Back the Lightning
