Gameday 50: Penguins vs. Lightning

gameday_1819_50

Penguins vs. Lightning

PPG Paints Arena – Pittsburgh, PA

8:00PM – NBCSN

The Penguins take the ice looking to snap a funk where they’ve lost 4 of 5, though the task will be a tall one as they host the league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning in a national telecast at the Paint Bucket on Wednesday night.

It’s a rematch of the 2016 Eastern Conference Final, which saw the Penguins eclipse a 3-2 series deficit to bounce the Bolts in 7 games on their way to the first of their most recent back-to-back Stanley Cups. Drouin was offside, fam.

The Penguins fell to the Devils on Monday night in an out-of-sorts 6-3 failure that never really looked quite right, except for the fact that the Devils have been the Pens’ (uncle)daddies for a while now.

Jack Johnson missed the end of the Devils game on Monday, but either his injury was minor, or being injured won’t affect his dogshit-level play enough to keep him out of the lineup.

Guentzel – Crosby – Simon

Rust – Malkin – Kessel

Pearson – Brassard – Hornqvist

Sheahan – Cullen – Wilson

Dumoulin – Letang

Maatta – Riikola

Johnson – Pettersson

Murray

The Lightning are pretty much blemish-free this year. They’re a fucking wagon. They lead the league with 76 points, 5 points clear of Calgary out west, 13 points clear of the Isles in the East, and 14 points clear of Toronto in the division. That’s obnoxious. Their +59 goal differential is best in the league, too, 14 goals clear of Calgary. They are *averaging* 4 goals per game. They are 7th best in the league in terms of goals allowed.

Their power play is clicking at 29.5%, best in the league. Their PK is 5th best in the league at 83.5%.

Nikita Kucherov leads the league with 76 points. Brayden Point is tied for 3rd in the league with 30 goals.

This. Team. Is. Fucking. Terrifying. It’s really gonna suck for them to get bounced in the Eastern Conference Final all over again.

Johnson – Point – Kucherov

Palat – Stamkos – Gourde

Killorn – Cirelli – Miller

Erne – Paquette – Callahan

Hedman – Girardi

McDonagh – Cernak

Sergachev – Stralman

Vasilevskiy

Wreck the Lightning.

Image result for lightning mcqueen crash

Go Pens.

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