Penguins at Coyotes
After being held off the scoresheet for just the fifth time in the new year, captain Sidney Crosby continues his quest to reach the 1,000-point milestone on Saturday as the Pittsburgh Penguins conclude a two-game road trip against the Arizona Coyotes. Although Crosby was held in check, Pittsburgh scored four goals for the fourth time in five games and improved to 8-2-1 in its last 11 with a 4-1 triumph at Colorado on Thursday.
"The sooner the better, to be honest with you," Crosby said of becoming the 86th player to reach 1,000 points. "I'd love to get it over with just so I don't have to keep answering about it." Crosby was one of seven different goal scorers in a 7-0 rout of Arizona on Dec. 12 and the two-time Hart Trophy winner has 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) in 13 career encounters with the Coyotes. While Crosby is enjoying a decorated career, Arizona rookie Christian Dvorak posted the first multi-goal performance of his brief NHL career in Thursday's 5-4 overtime setback to Montreal to give him four points (three goals, one assists) in his past three games.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ROOT (Pittsburgh), FSN Arizona-Plus
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (34-13-6): Patric Hornqvist and Phil Kessel have found their stride as the former's two-goal performance on Thursday increased his point total to 10 (seven goals, three assists) in his last 11 games while the latter scored and set up a goal against the Avalanche to give him 10 points (five goals, five assists) in his past nine. Defenseman Justin Schultz, who joined Kessel and a host of others in scoring versus the Coyotes, set up a pair of tallies to push his total to 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in his past 11 contests. Rookie Matt Murray turned aside all 32 shots he faced in the first encounter with Arizona and owns a .937 save percentage in his last nine starts.
ABOUT THE COYOTES (17-28-7): Second-year forward Max Domi scored and set up a goal on Thursday in his third contest back after missing two months with a broken bone in his hand. "That's the first game since he's come back that he really looked like he had his skating legs," Arizona coach Dave Tippett said. "We needed a few more players with skating legs (on Thursday)." Former Penguins shot-blocking defenseman Alex Goligoski has chipped in offensively with a goal and three assists during his three-game point streak.
OVERTIME
1. Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin (lower body) practiced with fellow Fs Hornqvist and Scott Wilson on Friday and appears ready to return to the ice versus Arizona, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.
2. Arizona has scored a power-play goal in each of its last three contests
3. Coyotes C Martin Hanzal is expected to return to the ice after a one-game absence due to illness.