The Pittsburgh Penguins’ decision to weld Kris Letang with Marcus Pettersson on a defensive pairing in recent weeks wasn’t necessarily rooted in a sense of familiarity between the two long-time teammates.

Marcus Pettersson landing on injured reserve forced the Pittsburgh Penguins to do some tinkering on the blue line. Pettersson had been Erik Karlsson’s defensive partner since Karlsson debuted with the Penguins last season.

Dec 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk (24) reacts after scoring a goal against the Los Angeles Kings during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

These are my three favorite NHL props for Wednesday, January 30. If there is a team to fade tonight, it’s the Philadelphia Flyers. They just wrapped up a home-and-home with the Devils last night in a 5-0 loss where first-liner Owen Tippett exited. It will be Ivan Fedotov in net, which is an advantage for the red-hot New York Islanders.

Sidney Crosby scored the overtime winner on his patented backhand, and Erik Karlsson tied the game in the third with a snipe, as Pittsburgh defeated the Utah Hockey Club, 3-2.

The worst part about this game is that the Penguins did not play all that poorly. They didn't really give Seattle too many good looks all that consistently. But if they're going to win hockey games, they absolutely cannot hand opposing teams easy goals. It's that simple.

A nothing sort of play became a goal against after two, if not three, Pittsburgh Penguins (20-23-8) went to the wrong spots. A 2-1 game within reach became another meandering Penguins loss. For the second time in two weeks, the Seattle Kraken got the important third-period goals, beating the Penguins 4-1 at Climate Pledge Arena.

The Seattle Kraken beat the Penguins for the second time in 11 days. While a loss to a sub .500 team might sting, the mind-numbing defensive blunders that gifted Seattle the game stuck in the Penguins craw.

The Penguins held on the rest of the third period to secure at least a loser’s point, and then controlled the puck for most of overtime. Crosby then turned to his trademark backhand for his 95th career game-winning goal, and fourth tally in five games to send the Penguins back to Pittsburgh in better spirits.

Power play goal for Pittsburgh! Scored by Michael Bunting with 14:28 remaining in the 2nd period. Assisted by Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell. Anaheim: 2 Pittsburgh: 1 #PITvsANA #FlyTogether #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/j5k7rWikvW