The Pittsburgh Penguins will complete their two-game road trip with a matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. The game is scheduled to be broadcast on SportsNet Pittsburgh, and fans can listen via 105.9 The X or the Penguins app.
Pittsburgh enters the contest with a record of 19-12-9, while Columbus stands at 17-16-6. Historically, the Penguins have performed well against the Blue Jackets, earning points in 17 of their last 18 games (13-1-4) against Columbus since December 2019. Over the past 31 meetings dating back to February 2017, Pittsburgh holds a record of 23-3-5 versus Columbus. On the road in Columbus, the Penguins have picked up points in seven of their last eight games (5-1-2) since January 2022.
The Penguins’ offense has been effective in recent matchups against Columbus, scoring three or more goals in 23 of their last 29 games between the teams, including four or more goals in 18 of those contests. Entering tonight’s game, Pittsburgh ranks third in the NHL for power-play percentage at 29.6%.
Individually, Parker Wotherspoon is on a career-long three-game point streak with four assists and has five assists over his last five games. Sidney Crosby’s tally of 23 goals this season places him tied for seventh among all NHL players; only Boston’s Morgan Geekie has more among Eastern Conference skaters with 25 goals.
Blake Lizotte has played an important role for Pittsburgh as well—the team has earned points in 24 out of the 31 games he has dressed for this season (18-7-6).
Since Christmas Day, the Penguins have won four consecutive games and rank near league leaders across several statistical categories.
On Thursday, defenseman Kris Letang played his 1,200th NHL game—becoming just the third active defenseman to reach that milestone and now sits one game away from tying Larry Robinson for sixth-most games played by a defenseman with one team.
Yegor Chinakhov scored his first goal as a Penguin yesterday during a game in Detroit—his second appearance with Pittsburgh—making him the team’s 24th unique goal scorer this season. Only Vancouver has had more individual players score goals this year. Chinakhov is set to face his former team Columbus for the first time today.
Sidney Crosby continues to achieve personal milestones; after recording two assists yesterday in Detroit (for five points over his last two games), he extended his active point streak to six games (four goals and six assists). Crosby is now just two assists away from tying Wayne Gretzky for second-most assists with one franchise in NHL history and recently surpassed Marcel Dionne for eighth all-time multi-assist games.
Crosby also passed Gordie Howe for ninth-most road points in NHL history following his performance yesterday.
Both Crosby and Bryan Rust are currently riding six-game point streaks; another point tonight would tie them for longest such streak by any Penguin this season.
Erik Karlsson leads all Pittsburgh defensemen with thirty points (three goals and twenty-seven assists) through forty games; his assist total ties him for seventh among league blueliners.
Against Columbus specifically, Sidney Crosby has accumulated sixty-seven points (twenty-three goals and forty-four assists) over forty-seven career meetings—only two players have recorded more against Columbus than Crosby—and maintains a career average of nearly one-and-a-half points per game versus them. Kris Letang’s fourteen goals are most ever by a defenseman against Columbus and mark his highest total versus any opponent; he also leads active defensemen in points versus Columbus after posting a goal and assist earlier this season.
The Pittsburgh Penguins, established as an NHL franchise in 1967 and based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, are recognized for multiple Stanley Cup championships and regular playoff appearances. The organization emphasizes youth development through community initiatives and maintains strong fan engagement both locally and internationally through digital platforms offering tickets, merchandise, schedules, and news updates. Home games are held at PPG Paints Arena under ownership by Fenway Sports Group. The team features notable Hall of Fame figures among its alumni as well as an executive group managing hockey operations including player development and strategy.
