Pittsburgh Penguins Vs. Minnesota Wild GameDay, Odds, TV/Radio, And Preview
By Larry Snyder
Tonight marks the beginning of the second half of the season for the Pittsburgh Penguins (25-10-6, 56 points) with Game #42 when they take the ice against the Minnesota Wild at CONSOL Energy Center.
The Pens come into the contest just one point behind the New York Islanders (28-13-1, 57 points) for first place in the Metropolitan Division. The Isles defeated the Blue Jackets on Saturday, 5-2 in Columbus. They travel across the Big Apple tonight to take on the New York Rangers (24-11-4, 52 points) in Madison Square Garden.
Mike Yeo’s crew resides in last place in the National Hockey League’s Central Division of the Western Conference with a record of 18-18-5 and 41 points. Minnesota is looking to rebound from their 4-1 loss on Sunday to the Blackhawks (28-13-2, 58 points) in Chicago. The Wild are 8-12-0 on the road this season, have lost five in a row, and are 2-6-2 in their last 10 contests.
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This evening is the final meeting between the teams in their two-game regular season series. The Pens won the first matchup 4-1 on Tuesday, Nov. 4 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. The two squads combined for 56 shots in that game.
The Black and Gold are 15-6-2 at home this season, and those 15 victories on home ice is the third highest total in the NHL. Their last home win was a 6-3 triumph on Friday, Jan. 2 against the leaders of the Atlantic Division and the NHL’s Eastern Conference, the Tampa Bay Lightning (27-13-4, 58 points).
When: Tuesday, Jan. 13
Puck Drop: 7:05 p.m., ET
Site: CONSOL Energy Center
National Television: NBC Sports Network
Announcers: Dave Strader and Brian Engblom
Local Television: ROOT Sports Network
Announcers: Paul Steigerwald and Bob Errey
Radio Coverage: 105.9 FM – The X and the Penguins Radio Network
Announcers: Mike Lange and Phil Bourque
Live Video Steam: NHL GameCenter LIVE
Audio Stream: Penguins Radio 24/7
Sirius XM Satellite Radio: XM Channel 219, XM Internet 942
Odds: According to Bovada Online Sportsbook, oddsmakers currently have the moneyline on the two teams listed as Pittsburgh -210 / Minnesota +170 with the Over/Under at 5.5.
It was been rough for the Wild between the pipes this season. They are missing starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper, who is out with a lower-body injury, and was placed last Wednesday on injured reserve. Niklas Backstrom is 5-6-3 with 2.83 goals-against-average and a .892 save percentage. The team also recalled on Wednesday, netminder John Curry from the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League.
Minnesota has put up only one goal on the scoreboard in their last seven contests. Right wing Nino Niederreiter, who is second on the team with 14 goals behind left wing Jason Zucker’s 15 scores, has not found the back of the net in his last dozen games.
Coming into this evening, the Wild are 26th in the NHL when they have the man advantage with a 14.3 power play percentage. They are better on the penalty kill with a 84.8 percentage which is good for eighth in the league.
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However, even with their current slide, Pittsburgh remains seventh in the league on the power play with a 21.6 percentage. They have climbed the ladder as they are second to the Chicago Blackhawks on the penalty kill with a 88.2 percentage rate. In their last nine matchups, the Pens have killed 30 of 31 penalties.
Tonight could be the night for goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury as he has won against every team in the NHL except the Wild. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Sorel, Quebec native is 0-5 with a 3.76 GAA and a .853 save percentage against Minnesota.
Pittsburgh recalled Taylor Chorney on Tuesday morning from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. The 27-year-old defenseman made his Penguins debut in late December in back-to-back games at Florida and Tampa Bay on Dec. 22-23. Chorney and his father, Marc, became the sixth father-son duo in team history.
Up Next: The Black and Gold visit Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Friday, Jan. 16 to take on the New York Islanders. The two will drop the puck at 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ROOT Sports Pittsburgh.
From The Clipboard: With his seventh career overtime goal on Saturday against Montreal, Sidney Crosby is tied with Evgeni Malkin for the third most overtime goals in Pittsburgh history…At the midseason mark, the Pens have used 35 players this season, including 32 skaters…It is just the fifth time in franchise history that the Penguins have 25 overall wins by the midseason point.