Pittsburgh Penguins Vs. St. Louis Blues Preview And Prediction
By Larry Snyder
The Pittsburgh Penguins (12-8-0, 24 points) are 3-2 at home during the month of November as they face-off tonight against the St. Louis Blues (14-6-2, 30 points) at CONSOL Energy Center.
Ken Hitchcock’s crew is off to a good start as they are in second place in both the Central Division and the overall Western Conference standings of the National Hockey League. The Blues enjoy packing their bags as they are 8-4 on the road. Rioght-wing Vladimir Tarasenko and left-wing Alexander Steen has each contributed six goals in those 12 road contests.
-= Good Read: FanSided’s Top 100 Moments In NFL History =-
“When you’re a little bit scared, it gets your attention. You don’t want to be embarrassed by their skill set,” Hitchcock said of playing the Penguins on his team’s website. “Any mistake you making checking-wise ends up in the back of your net, so you’ve got a healthy respect for the other side. The fear factor is a great motivator. That’s what does it for us.”
According to Alan Ferguson on Fox Sports, the Blues remain on Sidney Crosby’s to-do list as he has never recorded a goal against them in his career. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound center has just five assists over the course of 10 match-ups.
Defenseman Ian Cole is enjoying the change in sweaters since coming over from the Blues last March. He ranks third on the Penguins in ice time, averaging 19:26.
“You want to play well, perform well, and prove to them that they made a bad decision not wanting to keep you,” Cole said on the Penguins website. “I’ve been given a great opportunity in Pittsburgh. … I ended up coming here, but was able to prove myself and show that I can play at an NHL level, night in, night out for a full 60 minutes. That opportunity I was given helped me grow as a player and into an everyday NHL guy. You can really contribute to a team.”
Alan Muir of Sports Illustrated has the Blues rated seventh this week in his NHL Power Rankings. The Penguins are holding at No. 12 for the second week in a row.
Here is your Game Day roundup:
When: Wednesday, Nov. 25
Puck Drop: 7:00 p.m. ET
Site: CONSOL Energy Center
Television: ROOT Sports Pittsburgh
Announcers: Paul Steigerwald and Bob Errey
Radio Coverage: 105.9 FM – The X
Announcers: Mike Lange and Phil Bourque
Audio Stream: Penguins Radio 24/7
Live (Pay) Video Steam: NHL GameCenter LIVE
Sirius XM Satellite Radio: XM Channel 91, XM Internet 942
Penguins Social Media – Twitter/Facebook: @penguins / Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins Apps: iPhone/iPod Touch Users / Android / Blackberry
Odds: Penguins -1.5 as per the Bovada Online Sportsbook with the Over/Under at five. The total has gone under in 15 of Pittsburgh’s last 23 match-ups. Another tidbit to keep in mind is that four of the last seven contests between these two has gone to overtime.
My Prediction: The Pens bounce back and grab a claim a 3-2 victory this evening against the Blues.
Up Next: The Black and Gold battle the Columbus Blue Jackets (8-14-0, 16 points) Friday, Nov. 27 at Nationwide Arena. They face-off at 7:00 p.m. You can catch every puck in the back of the net on ROOT Sports Pittsburgh.