The Montreal Canadiens will host the Pittsburgh Penguins after beating them on the road just eight days ago. This Saturday, December 20, matchup marks the first game of a back-to-back between these two Eastern Conference hopefuls.
My Canadiens vs. Penguins predictions and NHL picks suggest a similar result to their December 11 meeting, especially given the ugly losing streak the Penguins are enduring, with Lane Hutson playing a starring role.
Montreal Canadiens star defenseman Lane Hutson trails only Cale Makar in assists among defensemen this season. Over the last six games, Hutson has more assists (nine) than any other defenseman has points.
He is fresh off a three-helper performance in a 4-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.
The Pittsburgh Penguins rank in the bottom half of the league in goals allowed, and the 21-year-old rearguard notched two helpers when the Canadiens beat the Penguins just over a week ago.
On the topic of players who continue to pace the competition, 38-year-old Sidney Crosby has consistently proven that he remains among the NHL's elite. He leads the Penguins with 35 points and is on pace for yet another season above a point-per-game pace.
Despite his team's struggles, he has registered an assist in five of the Penguins' seven games during their losing skid.
Tonight is the first game of a back-to-back between these two teams, and the Habs collected a convincing win against this same Penguins team just over a week ago. Pittsburgh is mired in its ugliest stretch of the season, featuring blowouts and blown leads, so all signs point to a Montreal win.