Kings at Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are averaging a robust 5.6 goals in December and look to extend their winning streak to eight games when the stingy Los Angeles Kings pay a visit Friday night. Captain Sidney Crosby (nine-game point streak) and fellow forward Evgeni Malkin (16 points, 10 games) lead the way for the Penguins, who have also won six straight at home to take over first place in the loaded Metropolitan Division.
“Our division is insane right now,” Pittsburgh center Nick Bonino told reporters. “It’s nice to get the points now. They’re obviously going to be harder to get as the second half of the season comes around. You want to put teams behind you. You want to be in front and control your destiny, and I think we’ve done a good job of that lately.” The Penguins average a league-best 34.7 shots on goal per game and will be tested by the Kings, who allow a league-low 25.1. The Kings gave up 18 shots in a 4-1 victory over Detroit on Thursday to even their record at 1-1 on their mammoth nine-game road trip. Tyler Toffoli snapped a 10-game goal drought for Los Angeles, recording a pair of tallies to go along with an assist in the victory.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, Sportsnet, TVAS, ROOT (Pittsburgh)
ABOUT THE KINGS (15-12-2): Leading scorer Jeff Carter (14 goals, 24 points) criticized his team after the 6-3 loss at Buffalo on Tuesday, calling it “fragile,” and the Kings responded with a solid effort in Detroit. Los Angeles outshot the Red Wings 31-18 and got 17 saves from Jeff Zatkoff, who may face his former team with fellow goalie Peter Budaj sporting a .859 save percentage this month. Drew Doughty is third on the team with 16 points and fellow defenseman Derek Forbort, a former first-round pick, is beginning to emerge with four points in his last five games.
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (20-7-3): Defenseman Kris Letang (lower-body) is expected to miss a few weeks and Pittsburgh recalled former first-round pick Derrick Pouliot to support the blue line. That should give more responsibility to Justin Schultz, who owns five goals in his last eight games, and coach Mike Sullivan told reporters of the improving defenseman, “He’s quietly just playing real effective hockey for us. We’ve been really encouraged with his overall game.” Crosby (21 goals) and Malkin (12) top the team with 33 points and Phil Kessel has contributed 31.
OVERTIME
1. The Kings defeated Pittsburgh 3-2 in overtime Nov. 3 after sweeping the two meetings last season.
2. Los Angeles F Dustin Brown recorded his third multi-point game of the season Thursday after notching a pair of assists.
3. The Penguins have converted seven of 16 attempts on the power play the last three contests.