The Pittsburgh Penguins (13-12-3) and Toronto Maple Leafs (15-6-6) have a compelling NHL matchup coming up soon on Saturday, December 16 at 7:00 PM ET at the Scotiabank Arena. The Maple Leafs are slight favorites with a moneyline at -150.

 

 

The Penguins have been victorious over their last two matchups, with their recent win being a 4-3 shootout over the Montreal Canadiens. This was also their second game in a row where they scored four goals, meaning they are in a hot streak.

Jake Guentzel has been a key aspect of their offense, leading with 32 points and 19 assists. Sidney Crosby is the face of their scoring, as he leads them with 17 goals total. These two together have created a lot of issues for opposing teams defenses.

 

The Penguins are scoring 2.93 goals a game and they are taking 33.0 shots. Their power play performances have not been the best, where they have a current percentage at 13.4.

 

Their defense has been great in allowing just 2.61 goals in total from opponents, as well as 31.4 shots. Their performances in penalty kill situations are slightly better than the Maple Leafs, with a percentage at 81.8.

 

 

The Maple Leafs are coming off a tough 6-5 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, which put them back on the losing side. In their last five games, they have gone 3-2 and both of the losses were in overtime by a goal.

 

William Nylander has been consistent in their efforts on offense with 38 points and 24 assists. Auston Matthews has been killing it with goals, as he has 23 overall and leads the league.

 

They have about half a goal in scoring on average over the Penguins, as they put up 3.52 and take 32.8 shots. They have slightly been better in power play situations, with a percentage at 25.6.

 

Their defense has gotten them in trouble a handful of times as they allow 3.30 goals and 32.3 shots from opponents. Their penalty kill percentage is slightly below the Penguins at 79.3, but nothing that would likely change the outcome. 

 

 

MyBookie offers the latest odds for this NHL matchup, which shows that the Toronto Maple Leafs are slight favorites to win. However, the last time these teams met, the Penguins won 3-2.

 

 

The Maple leafs have an exciting offense and the best scorer in the league but a somewhat respectable defense. As for the Penguins, they are the opposite. This matchup could go either way, but look for the Maple Leafs to even the series.