The Pittsburgh Penguins (20-9-5) will try to get back to winning ways on Tuesday against the Anaheim Ducks (19-12-7).
Bookmaker BetOnline gives the edge here to the Penguins with the odds for a road win at -135. The odds are at +122 for Anaheim to win, and a high-scoring affair is expected with the odds at -113 for over 5.5 goals.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: January 10th, 6:00 P.M. (EST)
The Penguins were hot throughout December and also started 2022 with three straight victories before Dallas ended their 10-game winning streak on Saturday. Pittsburgh was in cruise control after taking a 2-0 lead in the opening period but only a few visiting sides have won in Dallas this season and Mike Sullivan’s team wasn’t able to join them.
It should be only a bump on the road for Sidney Crosby & Co. The team has battled injuries ever since the season started and they have still been very competitive with 20 wins in 34 games. All of these have come without Evgeni Malkin in the lineup and it appears that the former MVP is set to make his season debut on Tuesday.
Malkin is officially considered a game-time decision, but he was already deemed close to returning over the weekend and the chances of him playing seem high.
The Russian center has had a lot of health issues in recent seasons, but he’s still an elite player and should provide a further offensive boost for a team that has already been very sharp in front of the net with a 3.26 goals-for average.
The Ducks have also had a pretty good scoring rate this season with a 2.97 goals-for average. They have been known as a low-scoring side for many years, but a new crop of offensive talent has given the team a big lift.
Trevor Zegras is among the top-scoring rookies this season with 27 points in 32 games and he’s formed a very exciting partnership with Sonny Milano who boasts 24 points in 33 games. Crosby and Malkin will be the main attraction here, but Anaheim’s young guns should relish the challenge of battling against the multi-time Stanley Cup champions.
Anaheim’s starting goaltender John Gibson, a Pittsburgh native, should be eager to impress as well if he gets the green light to play after missing a couple of games because of COVID-19 protocols. Gibson has been outstanding on home ice this season with a 2.21 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage.
