Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Vancouver Canucks: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 10/28/2022

Time: 10 p.m. ET

Venue: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC

Where to watch: SN360, SN1, AT&T Sportsnet-Pittsburgh

DraftKings: Penguins -165, Canucks +140

FanDuel: Penguins -172, Canucks +142

BetMGM: Penguins -154, Canucks +130

Caesars: Penguins -160, Canucks +135

Penguins: 4-2-1 (9 points)

Canucks: 1-5-2 (4 points)

Penguins: lost 4-1 at Flames on Tuesday

Canucks: won 5-4 at Kraken on Thursday

Praise be to the hockey gods that the Vancouver Canucks found a way to win a game. Congratulations to these poor lads who have had to endure for so long to figure out how to win a game, a process combined with so many blown leads, inept defense, among other things. Congrats. Now you have to find a way to stop the Pittsburgh Penguins from ruining your good vibes and facing them Friday in Vancouver on the second night of a back-to-back.

The Canucks, by the grace of everything holy, defeated the Seattle Kraken 5-4 at Climate Pledge Arena on Thursday night for their first win of the year and the 600th in the career of Bruce Boudreau. Somehow this went on for far longer than it should have and the Canucks became the laughingstock of the NHL for the part of it. Ilya Mikheyev scored twice, and Andrei Kuzmenko scored his second goal in the NHL to help propel the Canucks. Thankfully, it was a short trip for Vancouver heading back home so not all is lost for this back-to-back, but it definitely provides for some intrigue. Thatcher Demko made 32 saves in the win.

"I haven't been thinking about that since about the third game," Boudreau said. "I just wanted to get the win for the guys and let them feel better. And hopefully, this sort of little streak doesn't happen again on the negative side."

But it might not have been all good vibes when it came to the Canucks. Because with time winding down and the Kraken trying to push for a comeback, leading scorer J.T. Miller blocked a shot late and had to be helped back to the locker room. Who knows what his status is looking like heading into this game against Pittsburgh, but this group can’t catch a break to save its life if Miller is out for a period of time.

And if Demko went on Thursday, it’s  likely that Spencer Martin gets the call on Friday against a dynamic Pittsburgh offense that has been clicking since the season began. But the Penguins’ trip to Canada has not resulted in good results so far with them dropping their last two games by a combined 10-4 to Edmonton and Calgary, the latter being a 4-1 loss that happened on Tuesday.

Evgeni Malkin scored the lone goal for the Penguins, and Casey DeSmith saw 36 shots on this night and couldn’t contain the likes of Nazem Kadri and company. Overall, Western Canada has not been kind to the Pens.

“They obviously knew we played last night (in Edmonton)," Pittsburgh defenseman Brian Dumoulin said. “They tried to establish that heavy forecheck that they have.”

The Penguins have had a few days off to reconvene after the last couple of games, and they honestly needed it. Trying to slowdown the firepower that is Edmonton and Calgary, especially on a back-to-back, says a lot. Good on Vancouver for winning that game in Seattle, but honestly, did Boudreau feel that pressured to get a win that he went with Demko against the lowly Kraken? Clearly, if Seattle pressed at the end and nearly came back to win the whole game, maybe. But I would’ve felt more comfortable with Demko going against Pittsburgh. Martin, I don’t feel too confident in him getting a win against Sidney Crosby and Malkin. Pittsburgh in a rout. Penguins win 5-2

Penguins are 12-5 after two straight non-conference games the last three years.

Penguins are 42-30 off an under the last three years.

Penguins are 20-16 off a road loss the last three years.

Canucks are 14-23 in non-conference games the last five years.

Penguins:

Danton Heinen -- Sidney Crosby -- Rickard Rakell

Jason Zucker -- Evgeni Malkin -- Bryan Rust

Brock McGinn -- Jeff Carter -- Kasperi Kapanen

Josh Archibald -- Ryan Poehling -- Drake Caggiula

Brian Dumoulin -- Kris Letang

Marcus Pettersson -- Jeff Petry

Pierre-Olivier Joseph -- Jan Rutta

Tristan Jarry

Canucks:

J.T. Miller - Bo Horvat -- Conor Garland

Andrei Kuzmenko -- Elias Pettersson - Ilya Mikheyev

Vasily Podkolzin -- Nils Aman -- Dakota Joshua

Tanner Pearson -- Sheldon Dries - Nils Hoglander

Oliver Ekman-Larsson -- Tyler Myers

Jack Rathbone -- Kyle Burroughs

Guillaume Brisebois -- Luke Schenn

Spencer Martin

Points: Sidney Crosby -- 11

Goals: Sidney Crosby -- 4

Assists: Sidney Crosby -- 7

Goalie: Tristan Jarry -- 4-1-0, 2.82 GAA, .923 SV%

Points: Elias Pettersson -- 9

Goals: Elias Pettersson -- 4

Assists: Elias Pettersson -- 5

Goalie: Thatcher Demko -- 1-5-1, 4.05 GAA, .874 SV%