Penguins at Coyotes
The Pittsburgh Penguins look to break out of their funk and maintain their hold on one of the top three spots in the Metropolitan Division when they visit the Arizona Coyotes for the finale of their three-game road trip Saturday. Pittsburgh's offense has been nothing short of offensive of late, producing fewer than two goals in six of the team's last seven contests (2-4-1) and a total of two during its four-game losing streak. The Penguins' latest defeat came on Thursday, when they dropped a 2-1 decision at Dallas to fall to 0-2-0 on their trek.
Arizona is mired in a horrific slump, going 1-15-1 over its last 17 games while scoring fewer than three goals in each of its last nine contests. The Coyotes ended a string of five straight games of fewer than two tallies on Thursday but still suffered a 5-2 home loss to Colorado. Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored both goals for Arizona to raise his team-leading total to 19.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ROOT (Pittsburgh), FSN Plus Arizona
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (39-22-10): Evgeni Malkin is expected to miss his fourth consecutive game due to a lower-body injury. The Russian superstar leads the team with 28 goals and trails captain Sidney Crosby (72) by four points for first on the club in scoring. Defenseman Kris Letang scored his 11th goal in Thursday's 2-1 loss at Dallas, matching his career high set last season.
ABOUT THE COYOTES (21-42-8): An upper-body injury to Martin Erat on Thursday forced Arizona to recall Justin Hodgman on an emergency basis from Portland of the American Hockey League on Friday. The 26-year-old made his NHL debut earlier this season, recording one goal in four games from Oct. 25-Nov. 2. Hodgman, who has recorded 10 tallies and 20 assists in 51 contests with Portland, is likely to be in the lineup against Pittsburgh should Erat be unable to go.
OVERTIME
1. The Penguins technically are third in the Metropolitan but are tied in points with Washington. They also trail the New York Islanders by two points for second place in the division.
2. Arizona, which is looking to snap a six-game skid (0-5-1), is expected to start G Mike Smith, who has yielded two goals or fewer in four of his last five starts.
3. Pittsburgh RW Steve Downie's next game will be the 400th of his NHL career.