Game NotesThe Penguins are 4-3-2 in their last eight games against the Islanders. Following tonight’s game, Pittsburgh will play four of its next five games at PPG Paints Arena. Kris Letang leads all active NHL blueliners in goals (13), assists (29), and points (42) versus the Islanders.
Reilly Smith has 17 points (7G-10A) in 22 career games against the Islanders, which includes seven points (3G-4A) in his last eight games against them.
Jake Guentzel has 26 points (8G-18A) in 27 career games against the Islanders. He has points in six of his last seven games (6G-5A) versus them.
Jeff Carter ranks fifth among active players with 50 points (23G-27A) in 58 career games against the New York Islanders. It’s the most points he’s accumulated against any one team.
Sidney Crosby enters tonight’s game two points shy of tying Joe Thornton for 12th place on the NHL’s all-time points list. Crosby is also sitting on 399 even-strength goals in his career. He’s looking to become just the 19th player in NHL history to notch 400 even-strength tallies.
Crosby leads Pittsburgh in goals (19) and multi-point games (7), and is tied for the team lead in points (35). Crosby has registered points in 25 of 32 games this season (78.1%), and is one goal shy of hitting the 20-goal plateau for the 16th time in his career. He’s looking to become just the second active player, and 22nd player in NHL history to have 16 seasons with 20 or more goals. Only four players in the NHL have scored more goals than Crosby this season, and his 15 goals at even strength are tied for second in the league.
Throughout his career, Sidney Crosby has played dominant hockey against the New York Islanders. In 82 career games, Crosby has recorded 132 points (41G-91A) against the Islanders, helping Pittsburgh to a 49- 22-11 record in those games. He has more than double the amount of multipoint games against them (39) as opposed to games with no points (19). Only Jaromir Jagr (155) has more points against the Islanders in NHL history than Crosby’s 132. Crosby’s 132 points versus the Islanders are also the most that any active player has against one single team.
Pittsburgh has been playing consistent hockey as of late, picking up points in five of its last six games (4-1-1). Since this stretch began on Dec. 12, no Eastern Conference team has accumulated more points, and only three teams in the NHL have picked up more points than the Penguins (VAN, 12; MIN, 10; SEA, 10).
Erik Karlsson enters tonight’s game one assist away from collecting 600 helpers in his career. Karlsson will be the second active defenseman to record 600 career assists after Carolina’s Brent Burns (602), and just the 10th active player to hit the mark. He is set to become the 18th blueliner in NHL history to reach the milestone, and the eighth fastest to do so in league history.
Evgeni Malkin enters tonight’s game with 482 career goals, and is one goal shy of tying Sergei Fedorov for the second-most goals among Russian-born skaters in NHL history.
Marcus Pettersson recorded his second multi-point effort in his last three games (2A) on Saturday night against Ottawa, giving him four points in his last three games (4A) and helping the Penguins go 2-0-1 in those contests. Since this stretch began on Dec. 18, only Victor Hedman (5A) has picked up more assists than Pettersson among NHL defensemen, and only two blueliners have notched more points (Victor Hedman, 5A; Quinn Hughes, 1G-4A).
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