The Ottawa Senators and the Pittsburgh Penguins meet in NHL action from the PPG Paints Arena on Saturday night.

Senators Lose Third Straight

The Ottawa Senators come into this game on the heels of a 3rd straight loss thanks to a 3-2 loss to the Islanders last time out. Vladimir Tarasenko and Tim Stutzle each have 8 points with Tarasenko logging 3 goals and 5 assists while Stutzle has a team-high 6 assists. Jakob Chychrun and Jake Sanderson each have 7 points with 4 goals and 3 assists for Chychrun while Sanderson has 3 goals and 4 assists. Brady Tkachuk also has a team-high 4 goals of his own as well on the year. Anton Forsberg has gone 2-1 with a 3.01 GAA and an .873 save percentage in goal for Ottawa while Joonas Korpisalo is 1-3 with a 3.50 GAA and an .886 save percentage this season.

Ottawa Senators Team Facts

• The Senators have lost 10 of their last 11 games at PPG Paints Arena.
• The favorites have covered the puck line in seven of the Senators’ last eight games at PPG Paints Arena.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Senators’ last eight games.
• The Senators have won the third period in seven of their last eight games following a road loss.

Ottawa Senators Player Prop Facts

• Joshua Norris has recorded at least one point in each of his last five appearances.
• Tim Stuetzle has recorded at least one assist in four of the Senators’ last five games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
• Claude Giroux has scored at least one goal in six of the Senators’ last seven games as underdogs.
• Brady Tkachuk has the most multi-goal games for the Senators this season (2).

Penguins Shut Out Colorado

The Pittsburgh Penguins come into this game fresh off of their 4-0 shutout win over the Colorado Avalanche last time out. Evgeni Malkin leads the Penguins with 9 points including 4 goals and 5 assists while Jake Guentzel has 8 points with a team-high 7 assists. Sidney Crosby has 7 points with 4 goals and 3 assists while Bryan Rust has a team-high 5 goals. Kris Letang has 4 assists while Erik Karlsson has 4 points with 3 assists and Reilly Smith has 4 goals and 2 assists. Tristan Jarry has gone 2-3 with a 2.24 GAA and a .917 save percentage while Alex Nedeljkovic has a 1-1 record with a 3.01 GAA and a .914 save percentage this season.

Pittsburgh Penguins Team Facts

• The Penguins have lost five of their last six games as favorites.
• The Penguins have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last six games as home favorites following a home win.
• The Penguins have lost the third period in each of their last seven games as home favorites following a win.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in each of the Penguins’ last eight games following a home win.

Pittsburgh Penguins Player Prop Facts

• Evgeni Malkin has recorded at least one point in each of the Penguins’ last nine games as home favorites against Eastern Conference opponents.
• Rickard Rakell has scored a goal in each of his last six appearances against the Senators.
• Evgeni Malkin has recorded at least one assist in eight of the Penguins’ last nine games as home favorites against Eastern Conference opponents.
• Jake Guentzel has scored the last goal in four of his last five appearances against the Senators at PPG Paints Arena.
• Jake Guentzel has the most multi-assist games for the Penguins this season (2).

Matchup/League Facts

• The Pittsburgh Penguins ranks T28th in the league in power play percentage this season (11.11%).
• The Pittsburgh Penguins ranks T1st in the league in short handed goals allowed this season (0).
• The Ottawa Senators ranks T5th in the league for goals per game this season (3.86).
• The Ottawa Senators ranks 2nd in the league for shots per game this season (35.7).

Chris’ Pick

I’m on the Penguins here. I know I’ve bashed Pittsburgh plenty early on this season, but the Sens are scuffling right now and haven’t played well on the road going back some time now. The Pens have to be feeling some level of confidence after shutting out Colorado and I think they come out with some force and get a win over a Sens team that’s 4-22 in the last 26 meetings in Pittsburgh. Give me the Penguins.