Penguins
Rematch; Penguins Game 73 vs. Blue Jackets: Lines, Notes & How to Watch
Surely, Vladimir and Natalia Malkin will be in Columbus on Saturday night to watch the second half of a home-and-home set between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Blue Jackets, eh?
Evgeni Malkin’s parents seemed to serve as a good luck charm and motivation for their son Thursday. He scored twice – both times on the power play, no less – as the Penguins (32-30-10) won 3-2 over the Columbus (23-38-12).
That gave the Penguins points in three straight games (2-0-1).
Game Time
The game starts a little after 7 p.m.
Penguins Preview
Is it good form to keep listing how far out the Penguins are from a playoff spot? It’s seven points with 10 games left. Buffalo leapfrogged them Friday, meaning the Penguins would need to move past five teams ahead of them to qualify for the playoffs.
In the meantime, the Penguins will be going for a sweep in the two games against the worst team in the Eastern Conference.
Not only did Malkin awaken, but Sidney Crosby also has been red hot. He had two assists Thursday, giving him nine points over the past three games for a team-leading 78 points in 72 games. He needs four points to clinch a point-per-game pace for the season, tying that Wayne Gretzky dude for 19 such seasons.
For the rematch, the Penguins will be without defenseman Ryan Graves, who left Thursday’s game and has been diagnosed with a concussion. Look for a young, physical third pairing of John Ludvig and Jack St. Ivany.
Will goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic get a fourth straight start over Tristan Jarry?
Read more:
Molinari: Let’s Get Physical: These Two Defensemen Like to Hit
Kingerski: Evgeni Malkin Family Still Makes a Big Difference
The Blue Jackets hung in with the Penguins fairly well Thursday after a team meeting that morning to address dealing with adversity.
Still, Columbus has lost six straight (0-5-1) and is 2-8-2 over the past dozen games as the team deals with several physical injuries and the emotional one of being eliminated from playoff contention.
Former Penguins forward Alex Nylander has missed the past two games because of an unspecified injury (although illness also has been cited). He looks likely to return.
Expected Penguins Lines
Drew O’Connor-Sidney Crosby-Bryan Rust
Michael Bunting-Evgeni Malkin-Rickard Rakell
Reilly Smith-Lars Eller-Valtteri Puustinen
Jesse Puljujarvi-Sam Poulin-Jeff Carter
Defense
P.O Joseph-Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson-Erik Karlsson
John Ludvig-Jack St. Ivany
Goalies
Alex Nedeljkovic
Tristan Jarry
Expected Blue Jackets Lines
Johnny Gaudreau-Boone Jenner-Alex Nylander
Alexandre Texier-Cole Sillinger-Kirill Marchenko
Mikael Pythia-Dmitri Voronkov-Mathieu Olivier
James Malatesta-Brendan Gaunce-Carson Meyer
Defense
Damon Severson-Zach Werenski
Jake Bean-Ivan Provorov
Jake Christiansen-Erik Gudbranson
Goalies
Elvis Merzlikins
Daniil Tarasov
Penguins Special Teams
Penguins power play: 14.9%, 30th
Penguins penalty kill: 81.1%, 12th
Blue Jackets power play: 14.9%, 31st
Blue Jackets penalty kill: 76.1%, 26th
Penguins Game Notes
This is the third game of a stretch of six in a row for the Penguins against fellow Metropolitan Division teams. They are 2-0-1.
The Penguins are 11-0-1 in their past 12 games against the Blue Jackets, with a 49-27 scoring margin.
The game starts a four-game road stretch.
Evgeni Malkin eclipsed 20 goals on Thursday, making him the fourth active player, 14th in NHL history with 15 20-goal seasons.
The Penguins are 385-87-45 when both Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby record a point.
Sidney Crosby has moved into sole possession of 11th place all-time in the NHL with 1,580 points. He is also five assists shy of 1,000.
Crosby is two points shy of his 13th season with at least 80 points. Only Wayne Gretzky, with 17, has more.
Lars Eller is two points shy of 400 for his career.
How to Watch
TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh
Radio: 105.9 FM The X
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