Penguins at Devils
Evgeni Malkin is mired in a scoring funk - well, by his standards - as the 2012 Hart Trophy winner has failed to dent the scoresheet in each of his last four games. Pittsburgh's leader in assists (13) and points (20), Malkin will look to get back on track as he plays his 800th career NHL game on Tuesday when the Penguins visit the New Jersey Devils.
Malkin, who made his NHL debut versus the Devils on Oct. 18, 2006, was held in check during a 5-1 setback to New Jersey on Nov. 5. Sidney Crosby was also blanked versus the Devils, although the captain scored for the second straight game and added an assist as Pittsburgh snapped a five-game skid with an emphatic 4-0 victory against Arizona on Saturday. The Metropolitan Division cellar-dwelling Devils return to the Garden State after being outscored 18-6 in their last three contests and falling to 1-6-0 on its seven-game road trip following Sunday's 5-2 setback in Winnipeg. "It's a pretty brutal road trip coming to an end and we didn't do what it took to win on the road consistently," forward Kyle Palmieri told reporters.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, MSG (New Jersey)
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (7-5-3): Casey DeSmith temporarily has usurped two-time Stanley Cup-winning goaltender Matt Murray with his recent play, as the former registered his second shutout of the season and lowered his goals-against average to 1.89 after turning aside all 39 shots he faced versus the Coyotes. "That's my job. Just to show up when I get the chance," the 27-year-old DeSmith told reporters. "I think so far, I've given the team a chance to win when I've played. I take pride in that." Conversely, Murray is 0-3-1 in his last four starts and has permitted at least four goals in each of his five starts at PPG Paints Arena.
ABOUT THE DEVILS (6-8-1): Brian Boyle, who had been diagnosed with a form of bone marrow cancer in 2017, provided one of the more uplifting moments of this season by registering his first career hat trick against Pittsburgh, on "Hockey Fights Cancer" night, no less. Reigning Hart Trophy recipient Taylor Hall set up Boyle's third goal in that meeting versus the Penguins, against whom he has 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 14 career encounters. Travis Zajac began a three-game goal-scoring streak by capping the scoring in Pittsburgh last week before being held off the scoresheet against the Jets.
OVERTIME
1. New Jersey G Keith Kinkaid improved to 4-2-2 in his career versus Pittsburgh after turning aside 35 shots in last week's meeting.
2. Penguins F Jake Guentzel, who set up D Jamie Oleksiak's goal versus the Devils, has all six of his assists this season in the last seven games.
3. New Jersey F Blake Coleman scored versus Winnipeg to push his point streak to three games.