Penguins at Stars
Evgeni Malkin looks to continue a dominant offensive surge when his Pittsburgh Penguins go for a sixth victory in seven games Friday night against the host Dallas Stars, who own a four-game winning streak. Malkin recorded at least a goal in five straight games (nine total), becoming the fifth player to score 30 in six seasons for the Penguins, and has accumulated 13 points during the same stretch.
Malkin registered a goal to go along with an assist in Tuesday’s emotional 5-4 victory over former goalie Marc-Andre-Fleury and Western Conference-leading Vegas, giving Pittsburgh 24 tallies over the last five games. The Penguins will be tested by the Stars, who knocked off Chicago 4-2 on Thursday and have outscored their last four opponents by a total of 16-5. All-Star center Tyler Seguin scored twice in the victory over the Blackhawks and has posted at least one in four straight contests to push his team-leading total to 28 while reaching 50 points. Ben Bishop turned aside 37 shots in Thursday’s triumph, but coach Ken Hitchcock told reporters after the game that backup Kari Lehtonen (9-5-1) would get the call between the pipes against the Penguins.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet One, AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, FS Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (30-22-3): Right wing Phil Kessel and captain Sidney Crosby have also been red-hot during Pittsburgh’s revival over the last five weeks, giving the team three players with at least 60 points. Kessel is within three points of the NHL scoring lead with 65 - 11 of them coming in his current six-game streak - while Crosby has recorded three goals, leaving him one shy of 400 in his career, and 21 assists over the last 13 games. Bruising left wing Patric Hornqvist (16 goals, 31 points) is considered week-to-week after missing Tuesday’s contest with a lower-body injury.
ABOUT THE STARS (32-19-4): Seguin joined forward Alexander Radulov (52) and defenseman John Klingberg (51) in the 50-point club for Dallas, and captain Jamie Benn is one away after being held off the scoresheet Thursday. Hitchcock told reporters center Martin Hanzal, who left Thursday’s game with an injury and returned, is fine while defenseman Julius Honka suffered an upper-body injury and will be evaluated. Lehtonen has won his last four starts, allowing a total of five goals in that stretch, and is 10-5-3 with a .915 save percentage in 18 career games against Pittsburgh.
OVERTIME
1. Dallas D Stephen Johns scored his second goal in three games Thursday and boasts a career-high seven after finishing with four in 2016-17.
2. Pittsburgh Fs Tom Kuhnhackl and Carter Rowney are questionable with lower-body injuries, but F Conor Sheary (lower-body) is close to a return.
3. The Stars have won five of the last six meetings with the Penguins and visit Pittsburgh on March 11.