The Vancouver Canucks make their only visit of the season to the reigning two-time Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night looking to sweep the season series.

Betting Analysis

On Nov. 4, Vancouver was a +110 home underdog with a total of 5.5 goals and upset Pittsburgh 4-2. Brock Boeser was an easy call as the game’s No. 1 star as he tallied his first career hat trick (including what would prove to be the winning goal at 5:56 of the third) and added an assist. Bo Horvat added a goal and three assists, Sven Baertschi had three assists and Jacob Markstrom made 37 saves. Jake Guentzel and Greg McKegg scored for Pittsburgh, while Matt Murray had 17 saves. The Penguins might have been dealing with heavy legs as it was their third game in four nights on a swing through Canada.

Last year, the Pens swept Vancouver and didn’t allow a single goal. It was a 4-0 final score in Pittsburgh. Murray was in net for both. In his career, Pens star Sidney Crosby has played 14 games against the Canucks and has six goals, seven assists and a plus/minus of minus-11. That latter number is Crosby’s worst against any team. The 2017-18 Penguins are 6-1-1 at home compared to 5-7-2 on the road. Vancouver is 1-4 in its past five in Pittsburgh.

Vancouver Canucks

As if it’s not tough enough to win in Pittsburgh, the Canucks (10-8-3) will attempt to do so on the second of a back-to-back. They ended a two-game losing streak Tuesday with a 5-2 victory in Philadelphia.

Boeser was the No. 1 star with two goals and continues to make his case as a top Calder Trophy favourite. The American winger leads the team in goals (nine) and assists (10). Daniel Sedin added a goal and assist and is now four points shy of 1,000 career points. Brother Henrik already has passed that milestone. Jacob Markstrom had 36 saves but will get Wednesday off. It will be Anders Nilsson, who is 4-1-1 with a 2.30 GAA and .929 save percentage, the latter two numbers better than Markstrom’s.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins (11-8-3) have a winning record and are battling for the Metropolitan Division lead despite having by far the worst goal differential in the division at minus-16. They are averaging just 2.7 goals per game and allowing 3.4. Crosby has six goals and 10 assists but is minus-12. He is scoring on 8.7 per cent of his shots compared to a career rate of 14.6 per cent.

Phil Kessel leads the team in points with 24 (eight goals, 16 assists). Murray is 11-5-1 with a 2.81 goals-against average and .909 save percentage. While the Penguins are a top-five team on the power play, they are struggling to kill penalties at a rate of 77.3 per cent. Pittsburgh has allowed two goals to opposing power plays in four of their last five games. That was the case last time out, a 2-1 home loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.

Canucks vs. Penguins Prediction