Penguins at Oilers
While Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid leads the league with 74 points, a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins is averaging the most per game this season -- and it's not Sidney Crosby. Fellow former Hart Trophy winner Evgeni Malkin, who boasts an NHL-best 1.21 points per contest, looks to continue his torrid streak on Friday at Rogers Place as the Penguins vie for a season sweep of the Oilers.
Malkin recorded his sixth three-point performance of the season with two goals and an assist in Tuesday's 7-4 victory over Winnipeg, increasing his overall point total to eight (five goals, three assists) during Pittsburgh's three-game winning streak and 70 in 58 games in 2016-17. The 30-year-old Russian also scored in the Penguins' 4-3 win over the Oilers on Nov. 8, a game that saw Pittsburgh overcome a 3-1 deficit despite Crosby (NHL-leading 34 goals) being held off the scoresheet. McDavid, who is averaging 1.12 points per game, set up three goals in that contest and is looking forward to slowing down the NHL's top-ranked offense (3.5 goals per game). "They're the defending Stanley Cup champion, they've been hot lately, scoring goals almost at will. It will be a good test for us defensively," the 20-year-old McDavid said.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ROOT (Pittsburgh), TVAS, Sportsnet West (Edmonton), NHL.TV
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (41-16-8): Defenseman Justin Schultz told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that it will be "weird" to return to Edmonton, with which he spent his first 3 1/2 NHL seasons. For whatever it's worth, the 26-year-old is entering the contest with significant momentum as he has scored a goal in three straight games and added three assists, with four of the six points being recorded on the power play. Conor Sheary notched a pair of assists versus the Jets for his second straight multi-point performance and also tallied twice in the first meeting with the Oilers.
ABOUT THE OILERS (35-23-8): Benoit Pouliot feels he's recovered from a bad fall in practice and will return to game action for the first time in nearly a month against the Penguins. "I feel good," the 30-year-old Pouliot said on Thursday after skating with new linemates David Desharnais and Zack Kassian. "That was a long three, four weeks. It feels good to be back, being back in the mix and just practicing with the guys is a nice feeling. (Friday) should be fun." Kassian scored his team's lone goal in Tuesday's 4-1 setback to the New York Islanders, dropping Edmonton to 1-1-0 on its season-high eight-game homestand.
OVERTIME
1. Pittsburgh C Nick Bonino increased his point total to five (three goals, two assists) in his last three contests by recording his second career hat trick on Tuesday to kick off the team's five-game road trip.
2. Edmonton C Leon Draisaitl (team-leading 23 goals) has been limited to just one assist in his last four contests after erupting for seven points (three goals, four assists) in his previous six.
3. Penguins C Jake Guentzel has scored in back-to-back contests and has three goals and two assists in his last six games.