Penguins Game 20, Tension Builds; Lines, Notes & How to Watch vs. Sharks

The Pittsburgh Penguins (6-10-3) are fighting to stay relevant as losses pile up and NHL trade rumors mount. It will be the first time the league gets a look at Penguins captain Sidney Crosby vs. Morgan Celebrini as the Penguins get what should be a winnable game against the road-weary and rebuilding San Jose Sharks (5-10-3) at PPG Paints Arena.

The puck drops just after 7 p.m.

It’s the first time that 2005 first-overall pick Crosby has faced the 2024 first-overall pick Celebrini.

The Penguins melted in the third period Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. They trailed 2-0 early but rallied to tie the game before Columbus scored four unanswered goals, largely gifted by egregious Penguins mistakes. Goalie Tristan Jarry made his first start since Oct. 16, but Columbus scored on their first shot on goal.

Read More: Penguins Report Card: Another Failure in Spectacular Fashion, Time to Face Facts

Jarry allowed a soft goal in the first period but was otherwise competent. The team in front of him was another matter, and that’s been the Penguins’ biggest problem: Mistakes.

One bright spot for the Penguins was Drew O’Connor, who led the Penguins’ best line with Jesse Puljujarvi and Sam Poulin. The Penguins’ youngest line also had the most shot attempts and scoring chances, more chances than the rest of the lines combined. However, they did not score. It was the first time O’Connor started at center in recent memory, if ever, for the Penguins.

The team has one prospect, Vasily Ponomarev, who has not yet made his Penguins debut, and defenseman Owen Pickering, who has not yet made his NHL debut. According to coach Mike Sullivan, one or both could play, though coaches might want to get them into a practice or two before their debuts.

The Sharks are led by first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini but have lost three of four games on the road trip. Their lone win was a 1-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils. Since then, the Sharks have lost to the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers.

Penguins defenseman Kris Letang was ill Friday, and his status for Saturday is unknown. Sullivan will speak to the media at 5 p.m.

It’s also a game of former teammates. The Sharks blue line features former Penguins Cody Ceci and Jan Rutta, as well as center Mikhail Granlund. Of course, the Penguins acquired Erik Karlsson from the Sharks on Aug. 6, 2023.

Alex Nedeljkovic is the likely starter for the Penguins. Vitek Vanecek will start for San Jose.

Follow our colleague Sheng Peng on X and follow San Jose Hockey Now for all of the Sharks news.

Possible Penguins Lines

Anthony Beauvillier-Sidney Crosby-Rickard Rakell

Michael Bunting-Evgeni Malkin-Bryan Rust

Jesse Puljujarvi-Drew O’Connor-Sam Poulin

Matt Nieto-Noel Acciari-Vasily Ponomarev

Defense

Matt Grzelcyk-Jack St. Ivany

Marcus Pettersson-Erik Karlsson

Ryan Graves-Ryan Shea

Goalie: Alex Nedeljkovic

Possible Sharks Lines

William Eklund-Mikael Granlund-Fabian Zetterlund

Barclay Goodrow-Macklin Celebrini-Will Smith

Ty Dellandrea-Alex Wennberg-Tyler Toffoli

Klim Kostin-Luke Kunin-Carl Grundstom

Defense

Henry Thun-Cody Ceci

Mario Ferraro-Timothy Liljegren

Jake Walman-Jan Rutta

Goalie: Vitek Vanecek

Special Teams

Penguins power play: 18.9%, 17th. Penguins penalty kill: 82.1%, 11th.

Sharks power play: 16.4%, 23rd. Sharks penalty kill: 81.8%, 12th.

Penguins Game Notes

*The Penguins have won five of their last six games versus San Jose and are averaging 5.5 goals per game in those contests.

*Erik Karlsson has 18 points (5-13-18) in 15 career games against his former team. He has points in 10 of his last 11 games versus San Jose (4-12-16).

How to Watch