Can the Anaheim Ducks make it three in a row in Pittsburgh?

NHL fans can eat their heart out thursday night 'cause there'll be a huge card with eleven games on the slate, including the Anaheim Ducks, who will visit the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena.

The Penguins are struggling

The Pittsburgh Penguins had a lot of success a few seasons ago. They managed to win the Stanley Cup two times in a row (2015/2016 and 2016/2017), but the last two years they've been less successful. It should come as no surprise that every season the eyes are focused on starplayer Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins haven't started the new season too well. They opened with a 3-1 defeat in their own barn against the buffalo Sabres and although they won their next game 7-2 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, they lost important forwards with Malkin and Nick Bjugstad due to long-term injuries.

The Ducks are a positive surprise

The Anaheim Ducks ended 13th in the Western Conference last season with 80 points. They only scored 199 goals, the least of all the teams in the NHL. That they were in the race for the playoffs for a relatively long time was mainly due to goalkeeper John Gibson, who belongs to the best of the NHL. They have started the new season excellently, winning their first three games against respectively the Arizona Coyotes, San Jose Sharks and the Detroit Red Wings. Although they were outshot with a small margin in every game so far, it’s nice to see that their offense is clicking.

Can The Penguins overcome their injuries?

The long-term injury of Malkin will be a huge blow for head coach Mike Sullivan. He won’t only miss him, but also forwards Bjugstad, Alex Galchenyuk, Patric Hörnqvist, Bryan Rust and defender Zach Trotman. Moreover, they can no longer count on Phil Kessel, who was traded to the Arizona Coyes and scored 82 points last season (27 goals, 55 assists). The Pens couldn’t score more than one goal against the Winnipeg Jets last tuesday, who's defense looked very leaky during their first three games this season, and now the Penguins will face a quality goalkeeper with Gibson.

The Ducks won their two away games in Pittsburgh last season (4-0 and 4-2) and have every chance to extend their current winning streak with the Penguins missing a lot of forwards. They have the advantage of an healthier squad, so Pittsburgh can’t be such a big favorite in my opinion.