Penguins at Canucks
The Pittsburgh Penguins hope to conclude their five-game road trip with an offensive outburst when they visit the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. Pittsburgh has scored more than one goal just once while going 1-2-1 on the trek and has netted more than two tallies only one time over its last seven overall contests.
The Penguins are coming off a 2-1 overtime setback in Calgary on Thursday, marking the fourth time in their last five road games they have managed just one goal. Vancouver failed to score at all in its last contest as it dropped a 2-0 decision to New Jersey on Wednesday to fall to 1-1-1 on its five-game homestand. The defeat put an end to a five-game point streak (4-0-1) for the Canucks, who have yet to have a player reach double digits in points. Brock Boeser, a 20-year-old rookie right wing, tops the club with nine - including a team-leading five that have come on the power play.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet-Pittsburgh, CBC, Sportsnet (Vancouver)
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (8-5-2): Evgeni Malkin had his three-game goal-scoring streak snapped in Calgary but notched an assist to give him a point in four straight contests. The 31-year-old Russian shares the team lead in tallies (six) and points (15) while topping the club in power-play goals (four) and game-winners (three). Phil Kessel also has registered 15 points but was kept off the scoresheet by the Flames, ending his five-game streak.
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (6-4-2): Anton Rodin's season debut will have to wait as the Swedish right wing was assigned to Utica of the American Hockey League on Friday. The 26-year-old Rodin recorded an assist in three games with Vancouver last season - his first in the NHL - and has notched one in four contests with Utica this campaign. Derek Dorsett has scored a team-leading six goals in 12 games this season - the third-highest total of his NHL tenure and half of his career-high total he set over 77 contests in 2011-12 while with Columbus.
OVERTIME
1. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has gone seven games without a goal after recording four during a three-game streak.
2. Vancouver captain Henrik Sedin has registered only four shots without scoring a goal in 12 contests this season.
3. Four of Malkin's six goals have come on the power play while two of Kessel's four have been overtime winners.