The Pittsburgh Penguins have won only one of their last five games, but I think they'll get back on track here in the opener of a three-game homestand. "We need to find a way to put some wins together," Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby told reporters. "You look at the division, how tight things are, these are big games. We need the points and we want to make sure we finish strong before the Christmas break."

The Pens will host a Columbus Blue Jackets team that had lost back-to-back games on the road (at Carolina and Boston) before notching a 4-2 home victory against Toronto last night. The Pens meanwhile are well rested and 8-3 in their last 11 games playing on two days rest.

The Blue Jackets have lost four of their last five on the road and five of the last six meetings with Pittsburgh.

The Blue Jackets have struggled on defense lately and Sergei Bobrovsky has given up 18 goals through his last four contests. The Pens are averaging 3.31 goals per game home at PPG PAINTS Arena and should get the better of the visitors tonight.

My free pick is on the Pittsburgh Penguins.

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