Penguins at Bruins
The Pittsburgh Penguins may be strolling along, but their path toward a sixth consecutive victory just got a bit tougher. Evgeni Malkin, who is in the midst of a nine-game point streak, will sit out his second straight contest on Saturday, when the Penguins visit the Boston Bruins for the final time this regular season. Malkin suffered a lower-body injury during the morning skate on Thursday, but the team didn't miss a beat en route to a 5-1 triumph over streaking San Jose later that night.
Boston knows all too well about injuries as defenseman Johnny Boychuk exited Thursday's 2-1 loss to Montreal on a stretcher after a hit from behind by Max Pacioretty in the first period. To add insult to injury, Pacioretty netted the game-winning goal later in the contest. Boston has split a pair of one-goal decisions with Pittsburgh this campaign after breezing to a four-game sweep in last season's Eastern Conference final.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NHLN, ROOT (Pittsburgh), NESN (Boston)
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (20-9-1): Chris Kunitz scored twice versus the Sharks and has five goals in his last four games to claim the team lead with 16. Kunitz holds a one-goal edge over Sidney Crosby, who collected three assists against San Jose while playing in his 500th career game. The captain scored a goal with three-tenths of a second remaining in the third period on Nov. 25, but Boston seized a 4-3 victory in overtime.
ABOUT THE BRUINS (18-8-2): Defenseman Torey Krug netted the winner in the teams' last meeting and may have to shoulder more of the load with Boychuk sidelined with a back injury. With Adam McQuaid nursing a lower-body injury and failing to practice on Friday, fellow blue-liners Kevan Miller and Matt Bartkowski also could see an increase in playing time. "To me, it's no big deal. It's part of hockey, it's part of the game. Injuries are part of it," coach Claude Julien told the Boston Herald. "That's why you have a farm team and extra players."
OVERTIME
1. Pittsburgh LW Pascal Dupuis suffered an undisclosed injury in Thursday's contest but is considered day-to-day and traveled to Boston.
2. Boston LW Milan Lucic has collected two goals and an assist in his last two games. He has set up a pair of tallies in two contests versus the Penguins this season.
3. Pittsburgh recalled Harry Zolnierczyk from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League and placed fellow F Andrew Ebbett on injured reserve with a broken ankle.