The Pittsburgh Penguins will face the Chicago Blackhawks at PPG Paints Arena on January 29, with the puck dropping at 7 PM. This matchup marks the team’s seventh annual Hockey Talks game, part of an NHL-wide initiative to address mental health stigma.
Fans attending the game can access information and resources from various mental health organizations located in the Hall of Fame Hallway behind Section 112. Fundraising efforts for Hockey Talks will include proceeds from a 50/50 Raffle presented by BetRivers Online Casino and Sportsbook, sales of mystery autographed pucks, warm-up pucks, and a Hockey Talks auction featuring signed jerseys and other items. The auction will benefit the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation’s mental health initiatives, with items available outside Section 104 and online at pens.givesmart.com starting at 5 PM.
The game will be broadcast on SportsNet Pittsburgh, with radio coverage available on 105.9 The X and through the Penguins app.
The Penguins currently hold a record of 26-14-11, while the Blackhawks stand at 21-23-9. In recent matchups against Chicago, Pittsburgh has secured points in seven out of their last ten games (6-3-1) and won three of their last four home games against them (3-1-0). Against Western Conference opponents this season, the Penguins have collected points in 17 out of 23 games (11-6-6).
Erik Karlsson has recorded points in five of his last nine games against Chicago and has accumulated a total of 18 points in his career versus the Blackhawks. Tommy Novak is currently on a three-game point streak.
Forward Bryan Rust was suspended for three games following an “Illegal Check to the Head.” Rust is third among Pittsburgh players with 39 points this season.
The team’s penalty kill unit has been effective recently, stopping 24 out of their last 25 penalties over eight games (96%).
Goaltender Stuart Skinner remains undefeated against Chicago in his career with five wins, a goals-against average of 1.98, and a .925 save percentage.
Since returning from the holiday break on December 25, Pittsburgh has picked up points in thirteen out of fifteen games (11-2-2), placing them near league leaders in several categories.
Rookie Ben Kindel recently scored two goals during his return to Vancouver, reaching ten goals for the season as an eighteen-year-old—a milestone previously achieved by only four other players in franchise history: Sidney Crosby (39), Jordan Staal (29), Jaromir Jagr (27), and one additional player. Kindel also became just the fourth Penguin to record more than one multi-goal game as an eighteen-year-old.
Sidney Crosby enters this game three goals away from achieving thirty goals for a fourteenth time in his career—fifth consecutive season—and only six NHL players have more such seasons than him; among active players only Alex Ovechkin surpasses him with nineteen seasons.
Penguins defensemen have contributed significantly this year, accounting for about one-quarter of team points (25.1%) and ranking fourth league-wide for assists by defensemen.
Pittsburgh often establishes early leads; they have scored first in sixty percent of their fifty-one games so far—only two teams have more first-period goals than them this season.
Stuart Skinner has won seven out of eight starts since Christmas break while allowing just one goal in five contests during that span.
Egor Chinakhov has made an impact since joining Pittsburgh at the start of January with seven points across thirteen games; during those games, Pittsburgh holds a record of nine wins, two losses, and two overtime losses.
Sidney Crosby also continues to climb historical rankings with seven multi-point performances over his last thirteen outings—one shy from tying Mark Messier and Marcel Dionne for third-most multi-point NHL games ever recorded.
Kris Letang is approaching another milestone as he needs three more points to reach eight hundred career points—a feat accomplished by only twenty other defensemen all-time and just four active ones. Letang already holds every major statistical record among Penguins defensemen including most games played (1,210), goals (178), assists (619), and total points (797).
