The 2023 NHL Winter Classic is set to take place on January 2, 2023, at Fenway Park in Boston Massachusetts between the Boston Bruins and the Pittsburgh Penguins. This will mark the 14th Winter Classic in NHL history.
The Boston Bruins come into this game as the best team in the NHL with a record of 28-4-3 (59 points) and currently sit atop the Atlantic Division. On the other side of the ice are a very hot Pittsburgh Penguins team. The Penguins started the 2022-2023 NHL season out slow but have been playing some of their best hockey of the season so far and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The Pittsburgh Penguins are 19-10-6 (44 points) and currently sit at 3rd place in the Metropolitan Division.
While the Winter Classic isn’t available in NHL 23, the video game is a great tool to see who has the edge in this battle.
Comparing Offenses
When you look at both the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins Offense, you will immediately notice that there are Hall of Fame players on both teams. These teams have tremendous offenses which have the potential to treat a lot of fans on January 2.
The Boston Bruins offense is going to be led by David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, and Patrice Bergeron. David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand are both 91 Overalls in NHL 23 and Patrice Bergeron came into NHL 23 as an 89 Overall. An 89 Overall for Patrice Bergeron marked his lowest rating in an NHL video game since NHL 18. However, all three of these players have been doing damage for the Boston Bruins.
- David Pastrnak: 35 games played, 24 goals, 24 assists, 48 points (91 Overall in NHL 23)
- Patrice Bergeron: 35 games played, 14 goals, 15 assists, 29 points (91 Overall in NHL 23)
- Brad Marchand: 27 games played, 9 goals, 19 assists, 28 points (89 Overall in NHL 23)
It is no secret that this Boston Bruins team is a very tough team to play against. You have this three-headed beast on offense, but their offense is so evenly distributed that you have to also worry about guys such as Jake DeBrusk and David Krejci. The Bruins also have the best goal differential in the NHL as well at a +57, so there is no secret that their offense tends to show up every single game.
The Pittsburgh Penguins will have some offense to counter of their own. Led by Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel, and Evgeni Malkin, these are three athletes that know how to win big games. Both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin won three Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Jake Guentzel won one with the Penguins in 2017. Sidney Crosby is the highest rated Penguin in NHL 23 with a 93 Overall rating, followed by Evgeni Malkin with a 90 Overall, and Guentzel with an 87 Overall. This three-headed beast for the Penguins have been very productive this season and the main reason why this team has gotten so hot over the past month.
- Sidney Crosby: 35 games played, 19 goals, 24 assists, 43 points (93 Overall in NHL 23)
- Jake Guentzel: 31 games played, 15 goals, 18 assists, 33 points (90 Overall in NHL 23)
- Evgeni Malkin: 35 games played, 11 goals, 22 assists, 33 points (87 Overall in NHL 23)
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a little more top-heavy in terms of their offense and their production isn’t as spread out as the Boston Bruins. However, the above three players have the opportunity to sway the 2023 Winter Classic in the Penguins’ favor at any given moment.
Comparing Defenses
The Boston Bruins have been very good at keeping the puck out of their net this season. A big part of that is due to how well their goaltending has been, but their defense has been really good as well. Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm are two athletes on the Boston Bruins defense that are going to have to be on top of their game to shut down the Pittsburgh Penguins offense. When it comes to NHL 23, the Bruins only have a team defensive rating of 88 Overall. That is a fairly decent rating, and I expect some of the stars on this defense to really clamp down and prevent Pittsburgh from getting many scoring opportunities.
The defense of Pittsburgh can be a little shaky at times, especially if Kris Letang doesn’t participate in the 2023 Winter Classic. Right now, Kris Letang is being evaluated for a lower-body injury and if he does not get cleared to play against the Bruins on January 2, that could spell big trouble for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Kris Letang is the highest-rated defenseman that the Pittsburgh Penguins have in NHL 23 at an 87 Overall. He is also a two-time Stanley Cup Champion and if he ends up playing, he will know better than anyone on how he can contribute to stopping the high-powered Bruins offense. Marcus Pettersson, Jan Rutta, and Brian Dumoulin are really going to have to step it up in this game and play some of their best hockey of the season, if they plan on stopping the Bruins offense. Any mistakes on defense, especially if Kris Letang can’t play, can not only cost them a goal, but it can also cost them winning the 2023 Winter Classic.
Comparing Goaltending
We can expect that the starting goaltenders for the 2023 Winter Classic will consist of Linus Ullmark (85 Overall in NHL 23) for the Boston Bruins face off against Tristan Jarry (83 Overall in NHL 23) of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Linus Ullmark has been sensational for the Boston Bruins this year.
Linus Ullmark has played in 24 games this season and has comprised a record of 20-1-1 in those games. Having only two blemishes on your record as we approach the halfway point of the season is simply remarkable. Ullmark also has a 1.90 GAA and .938 SV% to add to his career year so far. If Linus Ullmark can continue the great run that he is on and plays a decent number of games this year, he can definitely be a favorite to win the Vezina Trophy this season.
Tristan Jarry has been nowhere near as consistent as Linus Ullmark has been this season, but that is because Linus Ullmark is putting up unrealistic numbers. Jarry is capable of some pretty amazing stops and if he can play his best hockey, he is more than capable of handing the Bruins a rare loss on Monday. In 23 games this season for Tristan Jarry, he has comprised a record of 15-4-4. That is a fantastic record. Jarry also holds a 2.77 GAA and a .918 SV%. Nothing to complain about if you are the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Final Prediction
The 2023 Winter Classic will mark the 14th time that this event has been held. The weather for this event is supposed to be perfect with there being a high of 48 degrees and a low of 34 degrees and partly cloudy. There should also be no snow or other major weather that should impact this game at all.
With all of that being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if either team comes away with the win here. Both teams are full of talented athletes and each team has impact superstars that can pull this game in their team’s favor at any given moment. The defense and goaltending is where I think the Boston Bruins have a clear advantage. There is no word on how Letang’s lower-body injury may impact him playing in this game. If Letang doesn’t end up playing for some reason, the defense for the Pittsburgh Penguins could face some issues.
This Boston Bruins team is 4-1 career in outdoor hockey games and 2-1 all-time in Winter Classics. The only loss the Boston Bruins faced was against the Montreal Canadiens in the 2016 Winter Classic held at Gillette Stadium. The Pittsburgh Penguins are 2-2-1 all-time in outdoor NHL games. The Pittsburgh Penguins actually defeated the Buffalo Sabres in the first-ever Winter Classic in 2008 when Sidney Crosby won it for the Penguins in a shootout.
Given how well this Boston Bruins team has been playing this season and the fact that they still haven’t lost a game in regulation at home this year (18-0-2), I think the Bruins are going to find a way to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins in what I expect to be a very tight game. The weather is perfect, and this gives not only the offense on each side to shine, but I expect the goalies to be playing at a high level as well.
Prediction: Boston Bruins defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2