7:07 pm
November 6

Wild @ Penguins

Who will WIN this matchup?

Minnesota Wild (6-3-0)

@ Pittsburgh Penguins (4-3-2)

 

Starting Goalies:

Cam Talbot (MIN): Confirmed

Tristan Jarry (PIT): Confirmed

 

Current odds:

Minnesota Wild: (+100)

Pittsburgh Penguins: (-120)

 

• The Pittsburgh Penguins and visiting Minnesota Wild, who meet Saturday at PPG Paints Arena, are both coming off feel-good overtime wins. The Penguins downed their bitter in-state rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, 3-2 on Thursday on an overtime goal by defenseman Kris Letang to snap a three-game losing streak. That he was the player who got the winner underscored what has been going on with the team.

• Letang was playing in his return after missing four games because of a bout with COVID-19, and Pittsburgh was playing its first game since four players — captain and cornerstone center Sidney Crosby and half the team’s regular defensemen in Brian Dumoulin, Marcus Pettersson and Chad Ruhwedel — and coach Mike Sullivan tested positive for the virus.

• In one bit of good news, Penguins top-line winger Bryan Rust, out since their second game because of a lower-body injury, was a full participant Friday at practice.

• Pittsburgh will be closing out a season-long, eight-game homestand.

• Minnesota, meanwhile, has had a few days as a breather after downing Calgary 5-4 on Tuesday on Kirill Kaprizov’s overtime goal to end a two-game losing streak. Kaprizov, 24, led the Wild last season with 51 points in 55 games and won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year after beginning his career with the KHL in his native Russia. But he did not get a goal through his first eight games this season, netting his first when he redirected in a pass from Kevin Fiala in overtime Tuesday. Kaprizov was contributing even before the goal — he has seven assists — and Minnesota coach Dean Evason said the way opponents are playing against him can’t be discounted.

• Saturday will be Pittsburgh’s first time facing Kaprizov, thanks to the modified schedule last season due to the pandemic.

• Kaprizov will be without one of his regular linemates, Mats Zuccarello, for the fourth straight game. Zuccarello and Wild forward Rem Pitlick did not travel to Pittsburgh. Both have been in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol after testing positive.

4/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Pittsburgh Penguins
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