Penguins at Devils
Here come the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, who are hitting their stride as they visit the New Jersey Devils on Saturday for a key Metropolitan Division game. Pittsburgh, which didn't have a positive goal differential for the season until Tuesday's 5-2 victory over San Jose made it a plus-1, moved into second place in the Metro - four points behind Washington and one ahead of New Jersey - after Friday's 7-4 victory over the Capitals.
The Penguins have won four straight games and nine of their last 11, and no one is hotter than Evgeni Malkin, who has recorded seven goals in his last three contests after scoring twice on Friday and has 28 on the season - second in the league to Washington's Alex Ovechkin (32). New Jersey edged Philadelphia 4-3 on Thursday for its second straight win - both with Keith Kinkaid in net. Kinkaid will make his third straight start on Saturday as Cory Schneider, who has missed the last three games with a groin injury, is not ready to return after an off-ice workout Friday. Saturday's contest marks the first of four meetings this season after Pittsburgh swept the 2016-17 series 5-0, outscoring the Devils 26-14 as captain Sidney Crosby recorded five goals and five assists while Malkin added a tally and six assists.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet-Pittsburgh, MSG Plus 2 (New Jersey)
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (29-21-3): Crosby, stuck on 399 career goals for the last seven contests, notched two assists on Friday to extend his point streak to 11 games (three goals, 19 assists) - the longest active run in the NHL - while Malkin added two assists. “I feel unbelievable,” Malkin told reporters. “My body feels great. I’m trying to use the moment. When I’m healthy, I know I can do everything. If the team plays like this, it’s great for me and great for the team.” Phil Kessel has collected two goals and six assists in his last four games, moving him into second place in the league with 62 points - two behind league leader Nikita Kucherov - while Malkin (59) is tied for fifth and Crosby (58) for seventh.
ABOUT THE DEVILS (26-16-8): Taylor Hall (team highs of 18 goals and 50 points) is riding a point streak of nine games - or every contest in which he's played since the calendar flipped to 2018, accumulating six goals and eight assists during the run. Nico Hischier (nine goals, 31 points), the first overall pick in the 2017 draft, scored Thursday for the first time in 11 games. Brian Gibbons (11 goals, 23 points) leads the team in plus-minus rating (plus-13) and short-handed goals (three - tied for second in the NHL).
OVERTIME
1. Pittsburgh LW Conor Sheary (12 goals) is out indefinitely after suffering a lower-body injury in Tuesday's 5-2 victory over San Jose.
2. New Jersey went 2-for-4 on the power play Thursday after going 1-for-19 in its previous six games, while the Penguins were 3-for-4 versus Washington and are 5-for-10 during their winning streak.
3. Pittsburgh has won five straight in the second game of back-to-back sets and are 5-0-2 in their last seven such contests.