7-7-7, Game 43: Penguins Lines, Notes, and What to Watch vs. Kraken

Release the Kraken! The expansion Seattle Kraken (13-25-4) visits the seemingly destructible but unbeatable Pittsburgh Penguins (27-10-5) for the first time on Thursday night. The Penguins have overcome injuries, mounted multi-goal comebacks, and continued stacking wins. The team has won six in a row. The puck drops just after 7 p.m. at PPG Paints Arena.

If you’re into numerology, the Penguins signed forward Jeff Carter to a two-year deal on Wednesday. The team is going for its seventh straight win, and Carter wears 77.

Ok, maybe it’s a stretch, but the Pittsburgh Penguins are rolling, even if they’re not playing their best hockey.

“That’s part of our responsibility as the coaching staff–to make sure we see things objectively,” Sullivan said this week.

The Penguins haven’t tasted the bitterness of defeat much since the beginning of December, but have struggled to decisively defeat subpar opponents. Arizona had a 3-2 third period lead before the Penguins raced them out of the arena on Tuesday night.

In net, Seattle will start 2021 Vezina finalist Philip Grubauer. He will face the Penguins potential 2022 Vezina nominee, Tristan Jarry.

Former Penguins Jared McCann is the Seatle top-line center. However, Brandon Tanev is lost for the season with an ACL injury.

With all of the Hextall news, and PHN’s scheduled interviews with the WBS Penguins, this is an abbreviated pre-game intro. The Penguins are again heavy betting favorites, too. You can get the latest Barstool promos here. 

We’ve been having fun trying to predict who scores the first goal. Odds are generally 12-1 or even 14-1. We’ll take Bryan Rust again Thursday.

Expected Penguins Lines:

Pittsburgh Penguins Game Notes:

*Seattle has the largest goal differential in the first period. They’ve been outscored 47-28. The Penguins have outscored opponents 44-22 in the first.

*The Penguins PK fell to second in the league (88.3%). Seattle’s power play (23rd) and PK (21st) rank in the bottom third of the league.

*The Penguins are 13-4-4 against Western Conference.

*The Penguins are 7-1-0 with Evgeni Malkin in the lineup.

*Tristan Jarry registered his 23rd victory of the season on Tuesday against Arizona, which is tied with Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy (23) for the most wins in the NHL.

*Bryan Rust has recorded multiple points in six of his last eight games played (8-10-18).

*The Penguins power play went 2-for-3 on Tuesday night, giving them power-play goals in four of their last five games (5/20, 25%).

How to Watch:

TV: AT&T Sportsnet; Radio: 105.9 The X