The Pittsburgh Penguins are set to play their biggest game of the season so far against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.
The Penguins have lost two in a row and need a win to stay in third place in the Metropolitan Division. Meanwhile, the Senators have climbed up to the second wild-card spot and also need a win to stay in a playoff spot.
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Ottawa has not been kind to the Penguins as of late. The Penguins have lost their last five trips in the Canadian Tire Centre and haven’t won in that building since Feb. 10, 2022. The Penguins have also lost nine of their last 11 overall against the Senators.
The Senators will be without their top two defensemen, Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot, for this game, but they’re still very potent up front. Tim Stutzle leads the way, compiling 32 goals and 73 points in 71 games. Drake Batherson has been fantastic this year too, racking up 27 goals and 61 points in 68 games.
Penguins fans shouldn’t forget about Brady Tkachuk, Claude Giroux, Dylan Cozens, and Shane Pinto, either. All four forwards can score from anywhere on the ice and have been tough to stop this year.
Linus Ullmark will start in goal for the Senators, and he’s been dynamite against the Penguins during his career, winning all eight of his starts against them with a .926 save percentage.
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The Penguins will likely use the same lineup that they had on Tuesday against the Colorado Avalanche for Thursday’s game, since Anthony Mantha confirmed after the morning skate that he’s good to go. He missed Wednesday’s practice with a lower-body injury.
Here’s a look at the projected lines:
Forwards
Rakell-Crosby-Rust
Chinakhov-Novak-Mantha
Koivunen-Kindel-Brazeau
Soderblom-Dewar-Acciari
Defensive pairs
Wotherspoon-Karlsson
Girard-Letang
Shea-Clifton
Stuart Skinner will start in goal for the Penguins.
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Fans can also listen to the game on 105.9 ‘The X.’
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