Penguins at Jets
After scoring nine goals to win back-to-back home games over the weekend, the Pittsburgh Penguins are hoping their top-ranked offense clicks away from home when they open a season-high five-game road trip against the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday. Evgeni Malkin collected three goals and five points in wins over Tampa Bay and Buffalo, but the Penguins have mustered just 10 tallies en route to dropping four of their last five (1-2-2) away from PPG Paints Arena.
Malkin scored and set up a goal and captain Sidney Crosby eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau by notching the first of his two assists before tallying in overtime in Pittsburgh's 4-3 victory over Winnipeg on Feb. 16. While the Penguins won by the same score against the Sabres on Sunday - albeit after rallying from a three-goal deficit - to keep pace in the logjam behind Metropolitan Division-leading Washington, the Jets haven't helped their slim playoff chances by dropping eight of their last 13. Rookie Patrik Laine (team-leading 32 goals) scored in the first encounter with Pittsburgh and has nine tallies in as many games to pull within two of Crosby for the NHL lead. The 18-year-old Finn had an assist in a 3-2 setback to San Jose on Monday, marking the first time in nine contests that Winnipeg failed to score three or more goals in a game.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ROOT (Pittsburgh), Sportsnet (Winnipeg), NHL.TV
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (40-16-8): Pittsburgh has been tight-lipped about the condition of Kris Letang, who has been sidelined since Feb. 21 with an upper-body injury and will not travel with the team on the Western Canada portion of the road trip. "Listen, our doctor and medical staff has a good handle on it," coach Mike Sullivan told reporters of Letang, who has a history of concussions as well as a stroke in 2014. "When he's ready to play or getting close, and we get him on the ice, we'll let you guys know." Fellow offensive-minded blue-liner Justin Schultz recently returned from a concussion and has two goals and three assists in his last two games.
ABOUT THE JETS (30-31-6): Mark Scheifele has goals in back-to-back outings and three of the first four contests of Winnipeg's six-game homestand to move within one of matching his career-high total of 29, set last season. The 23-year-old set up a pair of tallies in last month's encounter with the Penguins and has 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in his past nine games overall. Defenseman Dustin Byfuglien scored versus Pittsburgh and his next goal will give him double digits for the fourth straight season and ninth time in the last 10.
OVERTIME
1. Winnipeg G Connor Hellebuyck, who is slated to make his 12th straight start on Wednesday, has yielded just three goals in his last three games after permitting 10 in his previous two.
2. Penguins G Matt Murray is expected to make his first career start versus the Jets with fellow G Marc-Andre Fleury (illness) missing practice on Tuesday.
3. Winnipeg has scored a power-play goal in each of its last three games and is a perfect 10-for-10 on the penalty kill in the same stretch.