Penguins at Sabres
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been patient over the years with Tristan Jarry, a luxury that a team can afford with Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray ahead of him on the depth chart. With Fleury now in Vegas and Murray considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury, the visiting Penguins likely will turn to Jarry on Friday for the opener of a home-and-home series against the Buffalo Sabres.
"We believe he is a solid goalie. I think the game he played against Tampa is a perfect example of what he's capable of," coach Mike Sullivan said of the 22-year-old Jarry, a second-round pick of the 2013 draft. "Tristan is going to have to make timely saves for us game in and game out. We believe he can do that." Belief may be in short supply in Western New York, as the Sabres have been shut out in back-to-back encounters, have lost nine of 10 overall and have seen their 30th-ranked power play go 0-for-18 in the last seven contests. "We have to have some attitude when we start the game," Buffalo coach Phil Housley said. "This is our home rink. We've got to get out and establish a forecheck, show more emotion on the ice."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, AT&TSN-Pittsburgh, Sportsnet, TVAS, MSG-B (Buffalo)
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (13-10-3): Captain Sidney Crosby has recorded back-to-back three-point performances, highlighted by recording his 11th career regular-season overtime goal in Monday's 5-4 win over Philadelphia to move into a tie with Mario Lemieux and Evgeni Malkin for the most in franchise history. The two-time Hart Trophy winner has 10 points in his last four games, including setting up a power-play goal in each of those contests. Phil Kessel also is riding a four-game point streak, with three goals and five assists in that stretch.
ABOUT THE SABRES (6-15-4): Zach Bogosian, who has been sidelined with a lower-body injury, is in line to make his season debut on Friday after participating in a full practice for the third time this week. "I've had a couple good days of practice," Bogosian said. "I feel ready. We'll see what tomorrow brings, but I'm sure I'll have a conversation with Coach sometime either today or tomorrow morning and go from there." Robin Lehner was absent from practice due to a maintenance day, but Housley expects the netminder back on the ice for Friday's game.
OVERTIME
1. Pittsburgh C Jake Guentzel has scored five times in his last four games to tie Kessel for the team lead in goals (11).
2. Buffalo C Jack Eichel scored and set up a goal in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Penguins on Nov. 14 after notching just one assist in the previous five career encounters versus the club.
3. Pittsburgh LW Conor Sheary, who scored twice in the previous meeting with Buffalo, has been held off the scoresheet in each of his last five games and nine of his last 12.