Lightning at Penguins
All-Star right wing Nikita Kucherov is enjoying one of the best stretches of his career and hopes to ride the momentum when his Tampa Bay Lightning visit the injury-hampered Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night. Kucherov registered a career-high nine shots Feb. 19 against Colorado without a point and recorded six goals and six assists in four games since, including a hat trick Monday against Ottawa.
“Let’s just hope this is the beginning of the roll,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper told reporters after the 4-3 overtime victory over Carolina on Wednesday. “He’s getting pucks on net, and when he’s going to the net, attacking the net, good things will happen. He’s earned these breaks. He’s just got to keep it going.” Kucherov faces a Pittsburgh defense likely missing three regulars - including Kris Letang (upper-body), Trevor Daley (knee) and Olli Maatta (hand) - as the Penguins try to battle themselves out of a 2-3-1 stretch after losing two straight on the road. Pittsburgh acquired veteran defenseman Mark Streit from the Lightning after they had picked up the 39-year-old from Switzerland in a separate deal with Philadelphia on Wednesday and he could make his debut. The Penguins scored 10 goals in a pair of victories over Tampa Bay this season.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NHL Network, Sportsnet, TVAS, FSN Sun (Tampa Bay), ROOT (Pittsburgh)
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (29-25-8): The trades of veteran forwards Valtteri Filppula and Brian Boyle along with goaltender Ben Bishop will hurt in the quest for a playoff spot this season, but general manager Steve Yzerman cleared plenty of cap space for the future. Kucherov is picking up the slack while defenseman Victor Hedman has 11 points in the last seven games and center Tyler Johnson boasts seven in the past four. Backup goalie Peter Budaj, acquired from Los Angeles in the Bishop deal, could get his first start either Friday, or Saturday at Buffalo.
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (38-16-8): Streit has 428 points in 765 NHL games and could be a big help with Daley and Maatta out longer term than Letang (day-to-day). “They’re missing a few guys, but I love the way they play,” Streit told the Pittsburgh Gazette. “It’s an up-tempo game, a fast game. … I guess me, as a puck-mover, I’m hopefully going to fit in well.” Leading scorer captain Sidney Crosby (67 points) went pointless in two straight games for only the second time this season while Evgeni Malkin (62) boasts four goals and four assists in his last eight games.
OVERTIME
1. Pittsburgh F Phil Kessel is third on the team with 56 points, but has none in the last three games and one in the past six.
2. Tampa Bay LW Ondrej Palat owns eight points in the last nine games and is two shy of 200 for his career.
3. The Lightning, who are three points out of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference entering Thursday, converted 7-of-15 opportunities on the power play in the last six games.