Kris Letang has recorded assists in three straight games, and put up six helpers over the stretch.One more, and he’ll set a new high- not bad for just 47 games, and in a contract year to boot. With an assist Thursday, Bryan Rust (56) tied his career-high season points total.He will become the sixth active NHL player to reach the milestone. At 698 career assists, Malkin is looking to join the 700 helper club soon.It’s a shame, though, if we only get to see the Zucker-Malkin-Rakell line in action for a single period. The Penguins lines have been in a constant blender lately, so the potential loss of Zucker is something the team will likely be ready to adjust to. He’s worked so hard to this point and I knew this game was an important one for him.”- Pittsburgh Penguins April 1, 2022 Poor Jason Zucker he was standing in the Penguins’ postgame video, but after his fall into the boards on Thursday, it’s uncertain he’ll be available for Saturday’s lineup.Ĭoach Sullivan on Zucker's injury: “I don’t have anything for you as far as where we are at. IR: Brock McGinn (week-to-week, upper body), Nathan Beaulieu Scratches: Marcus Pettersson (or will he swap with Friedman?), Anthony Angello (or will he swap with Zohorna?), Jason Zucker (presumed) Rickard Rakell - Evgeni Malkin - Bryan Rustĭanton Heinen - Jeff Carter - Kasperi Kapanenīrian Boyle - Teddy Blueger - Radim Zohorna Jake Guentzel - Sidney Crosby - Evan Rodrigues (Players shuffled from their Thursday game position are in italics). *After Jason Zucker’s presumed injury Thursday and the lack of practice Friday, we’re guessing lines might be shuffled to look more like they did on Tuesday against the Rangers. The Avalanche are one of the best 5v5 teams in the NHL, but the Penguins boast the 10th-highest 5v5 producer in the league- so we might as well call this Saturday matchup the Avalanche vs. Colorado’s is all the way down at 18th in the NHL at under 79%. At over 85% efficiency, Pittsburgh’s PK ranks second only to Carolina’s. The Penguins’ biggest advantage on paper over the Avalanche is their penalty kill. The red on the Penguins’ side highlights their biggest flaw- they actually generate more even-strength scoring chances than the Avalanche, but finish on much fewer of them. Francouz earned the 4-2 win over the Sharks, stopping 25 of 27 shots. The usual starter, Kuemper, got the night off on Thursday in the previous game. He’s averaging the lowest average ice time of his career so far this season, but is still skating over 16 minutes a game. Former Penguin Jack Johnson will be taking the ice at Pepsi Center this Saturday. That Nathan MacKinnon guy is no slouch either- despite a recent injury scare, he has 70 points in 52 games, making him one of only seven players in the NHL to produce at over a 1.30 points/game clip this season. His success has made the Avalanche’s top lines a deadly one-two punch. He leads the Avalanche and ranks eighth among all NHL scorers with 83 points (26-57-83) in 65 games. His previous career-high was 61 points in 82 games with Toronto in 2016-17, and he’s crushed that record in 2021-22. It’s not every day you see a player make the jump Nazem Kadri has in his 13th NHL season. Scratches and IR: Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Gabriel Landeskog, Sam Girard, Ryan Murray, Bowen Byram Goalies: Pavel Francouz and Darcy Kuemper Valeri Nichushkin - Nathan MacKinnon - Mikko RantanenĪrtturi Lehkonen - Nazem Kadri - Andre BurakovskyĪndrew Cogliano - Darren Helm - Logan O’Connor SBN Counterpart Blog: The air is thin and the analysis deep at Mile High Hockey. That evening at Pepsi Center, now-Kraken Jared McCann scored 3:19 into overtime to earn the Penguins a 4-3 win. Season Series: Thanks to the 2020-21 bubble season, this will be the Penguins’ first time facing the Avalanche since January 10, 2020. Trivia Question: Kris Letang marked his 50th assist of the season on Tuesday for the second time in his career (he cleared the half-century mark in 2015-16.) Who are the other four defensemen in Penguins history who have notched multiple 50-assist seasons? It’s the battle of the titans at Pepsi Center this Saturday. With a 27-4-3 record at home, the Avalanche lead the NHL with 57 home points this season. Hidden Stat: With a 22-8-5 record on the road, the Penguins lead the NHL with 49 road points this season. On Thursday, they head to Madison Square Garden for a fateful final matchup with the potential playoff opponent New York Rangers. Pens Path Ahead: The Penguins face the Avalanche once more, this time at home, on Tuesday. They’re 7-2-1 in their last ten games, scoring 29 goals and allowing 19 over the stretch. Opponent Track: The Avalanche became the first team to reach 100 points on the season on March 30. Who: Pittsburgh Penguns (41-18-10, 92 points, 3rd place Metropolitan Division) Colorado Avalanche (48-14-6, 102 points, 1st place Central Division)
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