PITTSBURGH PENGUINS NOTES:
LAST 2 GAMES
Nov. 17: Pittsburgh 6, Minnesota 4 – Xcel Energy Center
PIT Goals: Crosby (2), Poehling, Letang (PP), McGinn, Guentzel
(EN)
Multiple Points: Crosby (2G-2A), Guentzel (1G-2A)
Goalie: Jarry (19 saves/23 shots)
Key Stats: Sidney Crosby recorded a season-high four points (2G-2A) to help Pittsburgh pick up a point in its fourth-straight road game (3-0-1).
PP: 2-5
PK: 3-3
Nov. 15: Toronto 5, Pittsburgh 2 – PPG Paints Arena
PIT Goals: Rakell, Crosby
Multiple Points: None
Goalie: DeSmith (28 saves/32 shots)
Key Stats: Sidney Crosby netted his seventh goal of the season, surpassing Bryan Trottier for sole possession of 17th place on the NHL’s all-time points list (1,427).
PP: 0-3
PK: 1-1
INJURIES
Position Player Status Consecutive Games Missed Total Games Missed
N/A None
2022-23 Total Regular-Season Man-Games Lost: 30
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Date Transaction
Nov. 15 F Teddy Blueger activated off of LTIR. F Filip Hallander re-assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL).
Nov. 13 D Mark Friedman re-assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL).
Pittsburgh’s All-Time Record vs. JETS: 51-13-3
In Pittsburgh: 28-4-1
In Winnipeg: 23-9-2
OT Record vs. Jets: 9-1-2
Shootout Record vs. Jets: 3-2
2021-22 Results: Pittsburgh went 2-0-0.
TONIGHT’S GAME
-The Penguins continue along their three-game road trip with a visit to Winnipeg to take on the Jets (TV: AT&T Sportsnet, Sportsnet360; Radio: 105.9 The X).
-Last season, Pittsburgh went 2-0-0 against Winnipeg. Jeff Carter (1G-1A), Danton Heinen (1G-1A) and Evan Rodrigues (2A) led the team in scoring with two points apiece in those games.
-The Penguins are 15-3-0 in their last 18 meetings with the Jets.
-Since the Jets returned to Winnipeg in 2011, Pittsburgh is 8-4-0 there, and 7-2-0 in its last nine visits to Canada Life Centre.
QUICK HITS
1) Sidney Crosby’s 16 even-strength points are tied for sixth in the NHL.
2) Evgeni Malkin has points in five-straight road games (2G-5A) and has been held off the scoresheet just twice in 11 road games this season.
3) Goaltender Tristan Jarry picked up his second assist of the season on Thursday night, which is tied with John Gibson for the most in the NHL among goaltenders. Since making his NHL debut on Apr. 9, 2017, only Andrei Vasilevskiy (14) has more assists than Jarry’s 10 among netminders.
4) Jake Guentzel’s three empty net goals are tied for the most in the NHL. Since the beginning of the 2021-22 campaign, only Alex Ovechkin (10) has scored more empy netters than Guentzel (9).
5) Rickard Rakell has been on the ice for 23 even-strength goals for. Only San Jose’s Erik Karlsson (31) and Boston’s Hampus Lindholm (26) have been on the ice for more this season.
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has consistently produced throughout his career against the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets franchise. In 40 games, Crosby has recorded 18 goals, 39 assists and 57 points, and has only been held off the scoresheet 11 times. Of those 40 games, 19 of them have been multi-point efforts (47.5%). Crosby’s 1.50 points-per-game average against the Jets is tied for his fourth highest versus any one team:
QUICK STRIKE
Sidney Crosby scored the first goal of the game on Thursday night in Minnesota, giving him goals in back-to-back games (3G-2A) and points in five of his last six games overall (4G-5A). Crosby’s goal marked the fourth time this season that he has scored the opening goal of the game, which is tied for first in the NHL: Per NHLPR, Crosby’s opening goal was the 100th of his career, making him one of two active players along with Alex Ovechkin (134) to score 100 or more game-opening goals.
MORE CROSBY
Sidney Crosby led Pittsburgh to its fourth-straight game with a point on the road (3-0-1) with his four-point performance (2G-2A) on Thursday night in Minnesota. It marked the 163rd three-plus point game of his career, surpassing Gordie Howe (162 GP) for sole possession of the 10th most three-point games in NHL history. He now sits one shy of tying Jari Kurri (164 GP) for ninth on the all-time list. Crosby has more games in his career with multiple points (426) than he does games with zero points (328). Since Nov. 5, Crosby ranks fifth in the NHL (tied) in points
GAME-WINNING GINNER
Brock McGinn found the back of the net again on Thursday night, giving him goals in four of his last five games (4G) and seven points (4G-3A) in his last eight contests. His goal doubled as the game-winner, as he’s now scored the game-winning goal in each of Pittsburgh’s last three wins. McGinn’s three game-winning goals are a new career high and tied with teammate Jake Guentzel (and multiple other players) for first in the NHL.
PITTSBURGH’S PK
Pittsburgh’s penalty killing unit went a perfect 3-for-3 on Thursday in Minnesota and has killed off eight of its last nine penalties over the last three games. Below is a look at Pittsburgh’s penalty kill by month, which has made steady improvement. Pittsburgh also has two shorthanded goals which is tied for ninth in the NHL.
WINNIPEG JETS NOTES:
Scene Setter
The Winnipeg Jets play the middle game of a three-game homestand on Saturday night when the Pittsburgh Penguins come to Canada Life Centre for the only time this season. The Jets began the homestand with a 3-2 win against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night. Winnipeg concludes the homestand on Monday against the Carolina Hurricanes before embarking on a three-game road trip next week.
Tale of the Tape
WPG Stat PIT
15 GP 17
10 W 7
4 L 7
1 OT 3
21 PTS 17
46 GF 62
35 GA 61
21.2% PP 20.0%
84.2% PK 77.2%
Next Five Games
Date Opp TV Radio
Nov. 19 PIT SN CJOB/Power 97
Nov. 21 CAR SN CJOB/Power 97
Nov. 23 At MIN SN CJOB/Power 97
Nov. 25 At DAL TSN CJOB/Power 97
Nov. 27 At CHI TSN CJOB/Power 97
Recent Five Games
Date Opp SC Res Streak
Nov. 5 CHI 4-0 W 2W
Nov. 8 DAL 5-1 W 3W
Nov. 12 At CGY 3-2 L 1L
Nov. 13 At SEA 3-2 OTW 1W
Nov. 17 ANA 3-2 W 2W
Last Game
Winnipeg Jets 3
Anaheim Ducks 2
Jets Scorers: Connor (3, 4, 5)
Ducks Scorers: Terry (7), Zegras (8)
Jets Goaltender: Connor Hellebuyck (29 sv, 2 ga)
Ducks Goaltender: John Gibson (29 sv, 3 ga)
Jets PP: 1-for-2
Jets PK: 1-for-1
Recap: Kyle Connor did all the scoring for the Jets in a 3-2 win against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night. Mark Scheifele had two assists for Winnipeg’s other multi-point night. Connor Hellebuyck made 29 saves in Winnipeg’s net to earn the win. Connor also led the Jets with six shots on goal.
Near the Top
The Jets sit fourth overall in the NHL with a .700 points percentage… The best points percentage in franchise history is .695, which Winnipeg posted in 2017-18 when they went to the Western Conference Final… The Jets are one of four NHL teams with at least eight wins in their past 10
games (8-1-1).
Best Start
At 10-4-1, this is the first time in franchise history the Jets have won 10 of their first 15 games of a season… The franchise had previously won nine games in the first 15 games of a season three times… This season is the second consecutive season Winnipeg has had a .700 points percentage through the first 15 games of a campaign.
On the Brightside
The Jets are 18-for-19 (94.7%) on the penalty kill in their past eight games… Winnipeg is third in the NHL this season with a penalty kill clicking at 84.2%… The last time the Jets had a penalty kill better than 82% was in 2013-14 when they finished the season at 83.2%… The franchise record for penalty kill percentage in a season is 85.2%, which occurred in Atlanta during the 2003-04 season… Adam Lowry is one of four NHL players with at least two shorthanded goals this season, while Dylan DeMelo is one of four players with a pair of shorthanded assists.
Home Comforts
The Jets are 6-1-0 at Canada Life Centre to start the season and have won 10 of their past 11 home games dating back to last season… The 10 goals Winnipeg has allowed on home ice this season is the fewest in the NHL… The Jets are outscoring their opponents 3.4-1.4 at home this season… Kyle Connor (5G, 6A) leads the Jets in scoring at home with 11 points, while Mark Scheifele (5G, 4A) is second with nine points and Pierre-Luc Dubois (4G, 4A), and Josh Morrissey (1G, 7A) have eight points each… Connor (4G, 6A), Scheifele (3G, 4A) and Morrissey (1G, 6A) are all on five-game home point streaks… Connor Hellebuyck has been stellar on home ice this season, going 6-1-0 with a 1.28 goals-against average and .955 save percentage… Winnipeg is 235-150-36 all-time at Canada Life Centre and have posted a .500 record or better at home in six consecutive seasons.
Rare East Showdown
This is just the fourth game against an Eastern Conference opponent for the Jets so far this season… Winnipeg is 2-1-0 against the Eastern Conference this season and all three games have come at Canada Life Centre… The Jets don’t play in the Eastern Time Zone until Dec. 22 when they visit the Boston Bruins… Kyle Connor (30GP, 15G, 15A) and Mark Scheifele (26GP, 8G, 18A) each averaged a point per game against the Eastern Conference last season.
The First One
The Jets have surrendered the first goal in each of their past four games, but are 5-2-0 this season when allowing the game’s first goal… The Jets are one of five teams in the NHL with a winning record this season when allowing the first goal… Winnipeg is also 5-2-1 this season when scoring first… The Jets were 24-10-6 last season when scoring the game’s first goal and 15-22-5 when trailing first.
Helle-lean Form
Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is 6-1-1 in his past eight starts while boasting a 1.74 goals-against average, .946 save percentage and two shutouts… The stretch started with a 25-save shutout against the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 24… On the season, Hellebuyck is fourth in the NHL with a .935 save percentage.
Team Leader
Josh Morrissey is tied for second among NHL defencemen with 15 assists in 15 games this season and is ninth with 16 points… He has an assist in 12 of his 15 games, including six consecutive games and three games with two assists… Morrissey is on pace for 82 assists this season,
while his career high is 26 in 65 games during the 2019-20 season… Morrissey is also leading the team in scoring and is on pace to become the first defenceman to lead the team in scoring in franchise history… The franchise record for points by a defenceman in a season is 56, which Dustin Byfuglien did in 2013-14… Byfuglien (4 times), Toby Enstrom (twice), and Jacob Trouba (once) are the only defencemen in franchise history to post 50 points or more in a season.
Hatty
Kyle Connor netted his third career hat trick on Thursday against Anaheim by scoring all three of Winnipeg’s goals… It’s the second time in
franchise history a Jets player has scored all of the team’s goals in a hat trick, joining Patrik Laine (Mar. 6/18 3-0 W at NYR)… Connor is the sixth player to score three hat tricks or more for the franchise.
The Rookie
Cole Perfetti is tied for fifth in NHL rookie scoring with eight points (3G, 5A) in 15 games… He’s also fourth among NHL rookie forwards with an average of 15:39 ice time per game… Perfetti could become the fifth rookie in franchise history to post 50 points in a season, previously done by Dany Heatley (67 – 2001-02), Patrik Laine (64 – 2016-17), Kyle Connor (57 – 2017-18), and Ilya Kovalchuk (51 – 2001-02).
On The Power Play
The Jets are 11-for-52 (21.2%) on the power play through the first 15 games of the season… The Jets have scored seven of their 11 power play goals in their past six games, going 7-for-22 (31.8%)… Winnipeg had a season high seven power play opportunities on Sunday against Seattle… Kyle Connor (1G, 5A) and Pierre-Luc Dubois (3G, 3A) lead the Jets with five points on the power play this season.
On the Road
The Jets are above .500 on the road this season at 4-3-1… Defencemen Josh Morrissey (8A) and Neal Pionk (4G, 4A) lead the Jets in scoring on the road with eight points… Winnipeg’s first 15 road games are against Western Conference teams… The Jets were 16-17-8 on the road last season… Kyle Connor led the Jets in scoring on the road last season with 52 points (26G, 26A) in 39 games, which was tied for seventh in the NHL… His 52 points was one shy of tying the franchise record (Ilya Kovalchuk – 53 in 2005-06).
Extra Time
The Jets are 4-1 in overtime this season… Winnipeg’s five OT games are the most in the NHL this season and the Jets are the only team with four wins in overtime… All four of Winnipeg’s OT winners have come in the first two minutes of the extra session… Mark Scheifele holds the franchise record with 12 OT winning goals.
Goal-Games
Five of the Jets 10 wins have come by at least two goals, while three of Winnipeg’s four losses this season have come by three goals… The Jets suffered their first one-goal loss in regulation last Saturday against Calgary… Winnipeg finished last season 12-5-11 in one-goal games…Meanwhile, the Jets were 10-12 in games decided by two goals and 17-15 in games decided by three goals or more.
Zeros
The Jets have registered two shutouts this season, which is tied for the NHL lead…Both of Winnipeg’s shutouts have been by 4-0 scores (Oct. 24 vs. STL and Nov. 5 vs. CHI)… The Jets had five shutouts last season, which is two shy of the franchise record… The Jets beat the Seattle Kraken on Dec. 9 and Detroit Red Wings on Jan. 13 by a 3-0 score, while they shut out Minnesota 2-0 on Jan. 8, Vegas 4-0 on Mar. 22, and Philadelphia 4-0 on Apr. 27.
Comebackers
The Jets have come from behind in six of their 10 wins this season… Four of the comebacks have been from one goal, while two were from two goals… The Jets also have a pair of third period comebacks this season.
Jets vs. PIT Notes
Season Series
The Jets and Penguins square off twice this season… Winnipeg makes the return trip to Pittsburgh on Jan. 13.
Recent History
Winnipeg is 1-4-1 in their past six games against Pittsburgh… The Jets have three overtime or shootout losses in their past 10 games against the Penguins.
In Winnipeg
The Jets have lost three consecutive games to the Penguins at Canada Life Centre, but were 2-1-1 in the four games before that…Two of the past four games between the Jets and Penguins in Winnipeg have been decided by five goals or more.
Player Notes
Blake Wheeler has 26 points (11G, 15A) in 35 games against the Penguins to lead the team… Mark Scheifele has better than a point per game during his career against Pittsburgh with 16 points (5G, 11A) in 15 games… Blake Wheeler and Nikolaj Ehlers are the only two Jets players to have game-winning goals against the Pens in their careers… Despite being 3-4-3 during his career against the Penguins, Connor Hellebuyck has a .926 career save percentage against Pittsburgh.
