The Pittsburgh Penguins are back home on Sunday to host the Ottawa Senators at PPG Paints Arena. Pittsburgh was blown out 7-3 in Buffalo on Thursday, while Ottawa squeaked out a 3-2 home win over Columbus on Saturday.
The Penguins went winless (0-2-1) on their recent three-game road trip and are getting closer to being officially eliminated from the playoffs. They are tied for last place in the Metropolitan Division with the Philadelphia Flyers (69 points). Meanwhile, Ottawa sits comfortably as the fourth seed in the Atlantic division and is in the first wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference with 83 points.
Pierre-Olivier Joseph (upper body) remains out of Pittsburgh's lineup and on the IR. Bokondji Imama (biceps) and Tommy Novak (lower body) are both out nursing injuries. Superstar Evgeni Malkin (upper body) has missed the last two games and is not expected to return on Sunday.
Pittsburgh Penguins projected lines
Forwards:
Line 1. LW Rutger McGroarty - C Sidney Crosby - RW Bryan Rust
Line 2. LW Connor Dewar - C Rickard Rakell - RW Ville Koivunen
Line 3. LW Noel Acciari - C Kevin Hayes - RW Phil Tomasino
Line 4. LW Danton Heinen - C Blake Lizotte - RW Emil Bemstrom
Defense:
Pair 1. LD Matt Grzelcyk - RD Kris Letang
Pair 2. LD Erik Karlsson - RD Connor Timmins
Pair 1. LD Ryan Graves - RD Vladislav Kolyachonok
Goalies:
Starter - Tristan Jarry
Backup - Alex Nedeljkovic
Power Play:
First Unit - Rickard Rakell, Sidney Crosby, Bryan Rust, Matt Grzelcyk, Ville Koivunen
Second Unit - Philip Tomasino, Kevin Hayes, Rutger McGroarty, Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson
Penalty Kill:
First Unit - Noel Acciari, Bryan Rust, Ryan Graves, Kris Letang
Second Unit - Blake Lizotte, Danton Heinen, Vladislav Kolyachonok, Conor Timmins
Odds for Penguins vs Senators and Pittsburgh's upcoming schedule
Pittsburgh is a home underdog for Sunday's game against Ottawa.
On Odds Shark, the Penguins (29-34-11) have +110 odds at home, while the Senators (39-28-5) are -130 road favorites. A $100 bet on Pittsburgh would win $110, while a $130 bet on Ottawa would net $100.
The Penguins will have several days off following Sunday's game before heading out on another three-game road trip. They'll begin the trip on Thursday in St. Louis against the Blues. Pittsburgh will then head to Dallas for a clash with the Stars on Saturday and finish off the week on Sunday in Chicago.
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