Penguins at Red Wings
The Pittsburgh Penguins find themselves clinging to the final automatic berth in the Metropolitan Division while the Detroit Red Wings are just one point removed from that same spot in the Atlantic. The two Eastern Conference teams look to improve their postseason standing at the other's expense on Saturday afternoon when they meet at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena.
"Every game is its own story, but we know going into (Saturday) that it's our biggest game of the year," said captain Sidney Crosby, who saw both his 12-game point streak (six goals, 14 assists) and Pittsburgh's six-game winning streak come to an end on Thursday in a 3-0 setback to New Jersey. Crosby, who is slated to play in his 700th career contest on Saturday, scored in the Penguins' 5-2 win over the Red Wings on New Year's Eve and had a goal and an assist in a 6-3 triumph on Feb. 18. While Pittsburgh leads the fourth-place New York Islanders by one point, Detroit kept its bid for a 25th consecutive playoff appearance in sight by posting its third win in four outings with a 4-3 victory over Montreal on Thursday. The Red Wings sit just behind third-place Boston in the Atlantic and are even in points with Philadelphia for the second wild-card - although Detroit has played one more game.
TV: 2 p.m. ET, ROOT (Pittsburgh), FSN Detroit, SN, NHL.TV
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (40-25-8): Defenseman Olli Maatta is considered week-to-week after suffering a lower-body injury against the Devils, the team announced on Friday. "We have some ideas of how we're going to use people," coach Mike Sullivan told the team's website. "Olli is a good player and I think he’s built good chemistry with (Kris Letang.) He's going to be missed." Letang, who was paired with veteran Trevor Daley during Friday's practice, scored two goals and set up another in the first meeting with Detroit before notching an assist in the other.
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (37-26-11): Riley Sheahan scored twice on Thursday as Detroit improved to 8-2-1 in its last 11 contests at Joe Louis Arena by winning the opener of its three-game homestand. The 24-year-old's performance doubled his goal total since Jan. 11, but he has been held off the scoresheet in both meetings with Pittsburgh this season. Petr Mrazek made 26 save against the Canadiens to post his first win since March 12, but is 1-3-0 in his career versus the Penguins with a gaudy 4.12 goals-against average.
OVERTIME
1. Red Wings rookie C Dylan Larkin has cooled considerably, scoring just two goals and setting up two others in his last 15 games.
2. Pittsburgh is 1-for-19 on the power play in the last five contests while Detroit is 4-for-8 with the man advantage in the last four.
3. The Red Wings have permitted the first goal in nine of their last 11 games.