Chicago Blackhawks vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Predictions, Picks and NHL Preview – January 5, 2016

It’s must-watch hockey later tonight at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, as the Patrick Kane and the defending Stanely Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks pay Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins a visit to start a two-game home-and-away set.

Read on for more about this matchup. You can also check out our preview of Capitals vs. Bruins.
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Chicago Blackhawks vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Preview

Where: Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh

When: Tuesday, January 5, 7:00 PM ET

Line: Chicago Blackhawks at Pittsburgh Penguins – view all NHL lines

Betting on the Chicago Blackhawks (23-13-4, 50 pts)

[sc:NHL240 ]Behind Corey Crawford’s tremendous netminding job on Sunday, Chicago was able to win its third in a row, beating the Senators at home, 3-0.

Crawford turned away all 26 shots he faced to garner his sixth shutout of the season—tops in the NHL—while secondary liners Artem Anisimov and Andrew Desjardins and defenseman Duncan Keith each scored a goal. Now, who said that the Blackhawks are just all about Kane?

It will take another team effort for the Blackhawks to beat an improving Pittsburgh squad later tonight. And getting Kane to heat up again sure would make life easier for the Blackhawks at Consol Energy Center, where Chicago is 2-2 in its last four trips.

Kane has been the benchmark of offensive awesomeness thus far this season, leading the league with 57 points (23 goals, 34 assists). Kane didn’t score against Ottawa but assisted on Anisimov’s goal.

Team captain Jonathan Toews, meanwhile, only has 25 points on the season, but is rounding into form of late as he had two goals and two assists in the last four Chicago games.

Going back to Crawford, the eight-year veteran goalie is going to be in for a challenge against the Pens’ offense that has produced 10 goals in Pittsburgh’s last two games. Crawford is second in the league in wins with a 20-10-2 record to go along with a .925 saves percentage and 2.24 goals against average.

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Betting on the Pittsburgh Penguins (19-15-4, 42 pts)

For a team stacked with all-world talents, the Penguins should be better than their current 19-15-4 record. Sidney Crosby and company, however, are beginning to warm up with a 4-1-1 record over their past six games.

That stretch includes Pittsburgh’s 5-2 dismantling of the Islanders on Saturday at home. Prior to that game, the Pens also won 5-2 on the road over Detroit.

The offensive explosion isn’t really surprising for a team that parades the likes of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, and Chris Kunitz among others. Crosby was off to a slow start this season, but has started to look like the Crosby of old, scoring five goals and picking up five assists in the last seven Pittsburgh outings. He also had two power play goals in the Islanders game to help improve the Pens’ power play percentage to 18.6%.

Pittsburgh’s power play has been terrific in the past three contests, as the Penguins went 5-for-12 on the man advantage.

On the flipside, their penalty kill has been great all season long, as the Pens are ranked third in killing penalties with an 84.1% success rate. Moreover, the Pens have snuffed all of their opponents’ power play opportunities in the last six games. Their special team should come in handy against Chicago’s power play that converts 23.6% of its chances.

Writer’s Prediction

Pittsburgh wins, 3-2.

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