Penguins at Red Wings
The Pittsburgh Penguins look to avoid slipping further down in the Metropolitan Division and salvage the finale of their three-game road trip when they visit the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. Pittsburgh entered Friday tied with the New York Rangers for third place in the division after dropping five of its last 11 games (6-3-2), including the first two contests of its trek at Washington and Ottawa.
Captain Sidney Crosby is in the midst of a season-high four-game goal-scoring drought, which has followed a five-game streak that helped raise his league-leading total to 26. Detroit finally returns to Joe Louis Arena for a three-game homestand after going 2-3-2 on its seven-game road trip. The Red Wings have only three players with double-digit goal totals - including Dylan Larkin and rookie Anthony Mantha, who are tied for the team lead with 11 apiece. The 20-year-old Larkin, who netted 23 tallies as a rookie last season, has scored only twice in his last 14 contests.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NHL Network, ROOT (Pittsburgh), FSN Detroit
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (26-10-5): Chad Ruhwedel's latest stint with the team ended without an appearance, as the 26-year-old defenseman was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Thursday - a week after he was recalled. The San Diego native saw action in five games with Pittsburgh last month, recording one goal and one assist while posting a plus-3 rating. Evgeni Malkin, who is tied for second in the league in scoring with 45 points, has been kept off the scoresheet in consecutive contests only twice this season - both two-game stretches, with the most recent occurring from Nov. 16-18.
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (17-19-6): Riley Sheahan hopes to return to the lineup after his season-long slump earned him a seat on the sidelines for Thursday's 5-2 loss in Dallas. The 25-year-old center, who scored a career-high 14 goals last season, has yet to tally in 40 games this campaign and has notched just one of his six overall assists in his last 15 contets. In addition to his goal-scoring struggles, Larkin has recorded only five assists and owns a team-worst minus-17 rating.
OVERTIME
1. The Penguins have struggled on the penalty kill of late, allowing five power-play goals over their last three games.
2. Detroit has gone 3-10-3 at home since winning its first four contests of the season in Hockeytown.
3. Pittsburgh has suffered back-to-back regulation losses for the first time in its last 90 contests.