The Pittsburgh Penguins will look to start this four-game trip on a winning note.
The Pittsburgh Penguins will start their four-game western swing on Monday against a Seattle Kraken team that has lost three in a row and five of their last six games.
The Kraken have been held to two goals in four of their last six games and have struggled to score all year, ranking 25th in goals per game at 2.74. Per MoneyPuck, they also rank 31st out of 32 teams in 5v5 expected goals with 45.3%. Not only are they having trouble scoring goals, but they also can't create many chances.
Despite their offensive struggles, they beat the Penguins 3-2 in overtime back on Nov. 22. The Penguins had a 2-1 lead in the third period before Matty Beniers tied the game and Brandon Montour won it.
Beniers has been one of the Kraken's best players this season, compiling 10 goals and 31 points in 47 games. Jordan Eberle, who has made a habit of scoring against the Penguins during his career, leads the team in goals with 17 and also has 31 points.
The Kraken's goaltending has been really good this season, a major reason they're tied for third in the Pacific Division. Joey Daccord has a 2.84 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage this season, and Philipp Grubauer has a 2.46 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage.
The Penguins could potentially make a couple of lineup changes for this game, based on Sunday's practice. Here are what the lines looked like:
Forwards
Rakell-Crosby-Rust
Chinakhov-Novak-Malkin
Mantha-Kindel-Brazeau
Dewar-Lizotte-Acciari
Defense
Kulak-Letang
Wotherspoon-Shea
Graves-Clifton
Ryan Graves looks slated to replace Jack St. Ivany in the lineup since the latter was skated on a fourth pair with Erik Karlsson during practice.
Stuart Skinner will likely start in goal after having the night off on Saturday.
Puck drop is set for 5 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Fans can also listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'
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