Pittsburgh Review

The Pittsburgh Penguins continue their road trip with a matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes tonight. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM and will be broadcast on SportsNet Pittsburgh and ESPN+. Fans can also listen in on 105.9 the X and through the Penguins app.

Currently, the Penguins hold a record of 5-7-2, while the Hurricanes stand at 9-2-0. Historically, Pittsburgh has been competitive against Carolina, with a record of 14-9-5 over their last 28 encounters since January 17, 2016. However, they have struggled to secure a win in Carolina since December 22, 2018.

Recent performances between these teams have often been closely contested, with eight of their last twelve meetings decided by just one goal. Notably, Blake Lizotte has been effective against the Hurricanes, tallying five points in seven career games.

Matt Grzelcyk has been a standout performer for Pittsburgh's defense recently, contributing five assists over his last seven games. Meanwhile, Jesse Puljujarvi made an impact upon returning to the lineup Tuesday night with an assist.

Sidney Crosby is nearing a significant milestone as he enters tonight's game just two goals shy of joining Alex Ovechkin as active players with at least 600 NHL goals. Crosby has scored five goals in his last three games and continues to lead the Penguins' offensive efforts alongside Evgeni Malkin and Rickard Rakell.

Crosby also approaches several other records; he is three assists away from tying Joe Sakic for the 13th most assists in NHL history and needs three even-strength goals to match Teemu Selanne for the 12th most in league history.

Erik Karlsson is also on the verge of notable achievements among defensemen in NHL history. He needs two points to tie Doug Wilson for 16th place on the all-time points list for defensemen and two assists to match Borje Salming for 15th place on that respective list.

The Penguins' penalty kill ranks seventh in the NHL at an efficiency rate of 85.4%. Over their past eight games dating back to October 20, they have successfully killed off penalties at an impressive rate of nearly ninety-two percent.

Sidney Crosby's collaboration with Kris Letang has produced substantial results throughout their careers together. They are one goal short of equaling Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr’s combined goal tally as a forward-defenseman duo in NHL history.

In head-to-head competition against Carolina specifically, Crosby boasts an impressive record with sixty-seven points across sixty games—second most among active players—and maintains strong scoring averages per game played versus them.