TAMPA, Fla. — This article originally appeared on PGHHockeyNOW.com.
A playoff hope has become a downhill chase as Pittsburgh Penguins (38-21-16) could slash their magic number to single digits with a win Thursday when they visit one of the best teams in the NHL, the Tampa Bay Lightning (46-22-6) at Benchmark International Arena.
Despite Tampa Bay’s usual position at the top of the standings, the Penguins have points in nine of their last 12 games against Tampa Bay (7-3-2). And the Penguins are 5-2-0 in their last seven visits to Benchmark International Arena dating back to Oct. 23, 2019.
Road warriors: The Penguins have points in five-consecutive road games (4-0-1) and have points in 13 of their last 15 road games overall (9-2-4).
Tuesday, Anthony Mantha scored his 30th goal of the season. The first time he’s reached that plateau. Also, he has 21 points (8G-13A) in 30 career games against the Lightning and is a plus-11. His 21 points are the most he’s accumulated vs. one opponent.
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