Tampa Bay Lightning at Pittsburgh Penguins:

(19-9-3)                           (19-6-4)

Preview: In the league’s most interesting game tonight, the Tampa Bay Lightning will travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins. Both of these two clubs are in first place of their respective divisions and look to open up a larger lead heading into the short Christmas break. The NHL’s best player, Sidney Crosby, will miss his third straight game after being diagnosed with mumps. Radko Gudas will also be out tonight for the Lightning with an illness. The Lightning look to rebound coming off a disappointing loss to the Capitals, while the Pens look to secure two points after falling to the Blue Jackets in a shootout on Saturday. Look for this game to be won on special teams; as both the Lightning and Penguins average over ten minutes of penalty minutes per game. Even without Crosby, the Pens are still potent on offense and could create problems for Tampa Bay. With that being said, lets not overlook a very strong offensive team in Tampa Bay, who have one of the top first lines in hockey.

Prediction: Expect this one to be a high scoring game with the teams combining for at least seven goals. The Penguins offense is still explosive without Crosby and I expect them to pull out a win by a score of 4-3.

Team Leaders:

Goals:

TB- Steven Stamkos (17)

PIT- Evgeni Malkin (15)

Points:

TB- Steven Stamkos (34)

PIT- Evgeni Malkin (36)

Plus Minus(+/-)

TB- Tyler Johnson (+17)

PIT- Christian Ehrhoff (+14)