PITTSBURGH PENGUINS NOTES:
LAST 2 GAMES
Dec. 12: Pittsburgh 2, Dallas 1 – PPG Paints Arena
PIT Goals: Joseph (PP), Malkin
Multiple Points: Zucker (2A)
Goalie: Jarry (26 saves/27 shots)
Key Stats: Evgeni Malkin’s go-ahead goal with under a minute left extended Pittsburgh’s NHL-best win streak to six games.
PP: 1-3
PK: 2-2
Dec. 10: Pittsburgh 3, Buffalo 1 – PPG Paints Arena
PIT Goals: Rakell, Crosby (2)
Multiple Points: Crosby (2G-1A), Guentzel (2A)
Goalie: DeSmith (37 saves/38 shots)
Key Stats: Sidney Crosby’s sixth three-point night of the year helped the Penguins to their fifth-straight win.
PP: 1-3
PK: 3-3
INJURIES
Position Player Status Consecutive Games Missed Total Games Missed
D Jeff Petry Upper-Body 1 1
2022-23 Total Regular-Season Man-Games Lost: 38
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Date Transaction
Dec. 13 F Drew O’Connor and D Mark Friedman recalled from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL).
Dec. 13 D Jeff Petry placed on LTIR, retroactive to Dec. 11.
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).
Nov. 11 D Mark Friedman recalled from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL). F Sam Poulin re-assigned to WBS.
Pittsburgh’s All-Time Record vs. Panthers: 54-35-11
In Pittsburgh: 32-14-4
In Florida: 22-21-7
OT Record vs. Panthers: 13-5-6
Shootout Record vs. Panthers: 5-2
2021-22 Results: Pittsburgh went 1-1-1.
Penguins All-Time Point Leaders vs. PANTHERS:
Sidney Crosby – 44GP, 58 PTS (28G-30A)
Evgeni Malkin – 39GP, 40 PTS (14G-26A)
Jaromir Jagr – 29GP, 31 PTS (16G-15A)
TONIGHT’S GAME
-Pittsburgh hits the road as they head to Florida to take on the Panthers at FLA Live Arena (TV: AT&T SportsNet; Radio: 105.9 The X).
-Last year against the Panthers, Jeff Carter (1G-2A) and Kris Letang (3A) led the team in points with three each in three games played.
-The Penguins have points in 17 of their last 21 meetings versus the Panthers (13-4-4 record) dating back to December 20, 2014.
-Pittsburgh has picked up points in nine of its last 11 visits to FLA Live Arena (5-2-4).
-The Penguins have wins in five-straight road games, and points in eight-consecutive road games (7-0-1).
QUICK HITS
1) P.O Joseph’s goal on Monday against Dallas was his first of the season and first power-play goal of his career. Through 25 games, he’s set career highs in goals (1, tied), assists (7), points (8), plus-minus (+11), hits (39) and blocked shots (8).
2) Sidney Crosby ranks third among all active skaters in goals and points against the Panthers, having registered 58 points (28G-30A) in 44 games versus them. Since the 2015-16 season, Crosby is first in the NHL, averaging 0.93 goals-per-game against Florida (14G in 15GP).
3) Evgeni Malkin scored a go-ahead goal with 35 seconds remaining on Monday against Dallas. Per NHL PR, it is Pittsburgh’s third go-ahead goal in the final minute in the past 10 years – the others: Olli Maatta (59:45) on Dec 16, 2017 (at ARI) and Matt Niskanen (59:41) on Oct 12, 2013 (at TBL).
4) Tristan Jarry enters tonight’s game with a five-game winning streak. Only Tampa Bay’s Brian Elliott (6) has a longer active win streak than Jarry. During this streak he has a 2.00 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage.
5) Evgeni Malkin comes into tonight riding a six-game point streak, notching one goal and eight assists in that span. His one goal was the game-winner on Monday giving him 79 career game-winning goals, surpassing Jaromir Jagr for sole possession of second place in franchise history.
TEAM NOTES
SLEIGH’N 700
Head Coach Mike Sullivan appeared in his 700th NHL game as a head coach on Monday, as the Penguins took down the Stars, 2-1. The win was the 384th of his career (384-220-96).
‘TIS THE SEASON
Pittsburgh enters tonight’s game with a six-game winning streak, which is the longest active win streak in the NHL. The Penguins have also won each of their last five road games, which is one game shy of Vancouver (6) for the longest active road winning streak in the league. Dating back to November 9, Pittsburgh has points in 15 of its last 17 games overall (13-2-2). Since this 17-game stretch began, no one has picked up more points than the Penguins (28), and they have vaulted from 27th in the league standings to fifth.
Per NHL PR, this is the 19th time in his career that Sidney Crosby has been involved in a winning streak of at least six games – only eight players in NHL history have been a part of more: Nicklas Lidstrom (27x), Joe Thornton (23x), Marc-Andre Fleury (21x), Larry Robinson (21x), Joe Pavelski (20x), Chris Osgood (20x), Doug Jarvis (20x) and Don Marcotte (20x).
SIDNEY CLAUS
Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby has been nothing short of dominant all season, as he enters tonight’s game tied for eighth in the NHL with 38 points (17G-21A) in 29 games. Of his 38 points, 31 of them have come at even strength (15G-16A) which is first in the NHL, and he ranks in the top-20 in almost every major offensive category
KRIS-KRINGLE
Defenseman Kris Letang enters tonight’s game on the verge of becoming just the seventh player in franchise history to record 400 even-strength points:
Player EVP
Mario Lemieux 951
Sidney Crosby 919
Jaromir Jagr 743
Evgeni Malkin 720
Jean Pronovost 428
Rick Kehoe 419
Kris Letang 399
Letang is also looking to become just the third active defenseman along with Brent Burns (496) and Erik Karlsson (436) to accumulate 400 points at even strength. Only 22 blueliners in NHL history have accomplished this feat.
MERRY TRIST-MAS
Tristan Jarry enters tonight’s game having picked up points in each of his last 11 games (9-0-2), which is the longest point streak of his career. The last time a Penguins goalie had a longer point streak was Marc-Andre Fleury, who had points in 12-consecutive starts from Feb. 25-Mar. 20, 2009 (11-0-1). Jarry has been one of the hottest goalies in the NHL since Nov. 17:
Stats Since Nov. 17 (min. 5GP)
Stat NHL Rank
Wins (9) 1st
GAA (1.88) 3rd
SV% (.941) 3rd
SO (1) T-2nd
Assists (1) T-1st
Overall on the season, Jarry ranks in the top-10 among all NHL goalies (min. 10GP) in wins (13, T-4th), save percentage (.920, T-8th) and assists (2, T-1st).
JOLLY JEFF
Jeff Carter enters tonight’s game one assist from 400 in his career and is set to become the sixth player from the 2003 draft class to collect 400 goals and 400 assists along with Eric Staal, Patrice Bergeron, Joe Pavelski, Corey Perry and Zach Parise. He would also become the 100th player in NHL history to accomplish this feat. Carter has 36 points (16G-20A) in 37 career games against the Florida Panthers, which includes 12 points (5G-7A) in his last nine games versus them.
REIRDEN’S REINDEER
Pittsburgh’s power play converted for the sixth-consecutive game on Monday against Dallas, as P.O Joseph scored on the man advantage. The Penguins power play has gone 8-for-24 (33.3%) in the past six games, a figure that is tied for fifth in the NHL. In this span, only Ottawa (12), Buffalo (11) and Edmonton (11) have more power-play goals than the Penguins.
Power Play % Since Dec. 1
Team PP%
Edmonton 45.8%
Buffalo 37.9%
Vegas 36.8%
Ottawa 36.4%
Pittsburgh 33.3%
The Penguins stretch of six-consecutive games with a power-play goal is currently one game shy of Washington (7) for the longest active such streak in the league.
HO’ HO’ HEINEN
Danton Heinen currently sits one assist shy of 100 in his career. Heinen, who was drafted in the fourth round (116th overall) in the 2011 NHL Draft, is looking to become the 21st member of his draft class to register 100 assists. Of the 20 players with 100 assists, only six players (Christian Dvorak and Brandon Montour, 2nd Round; Brayden Point, 3rd Round; Viktor Arvidsson and Devon Toews, 4th Round; Kevin Lebanc, 6th Round) were selected outside of the first round.
NO SNOW IN THE SUNSHINE STATE
The Penguins are no strangers to high-scoring affairs when they square off with the Panthers in the Sunshine State. Over the past 18 games in Florida, Pittsburgh has recorded three or more goals 14 times. They’ve scored four goals on five occasions and netted five goals three other times as well. Below is a breakdown of Pittsburgh’s goals for over the past 17 games at FLA Live Arena.
FLORIDA PANTHERS NOTES:
BAPTIST HEALTH INJURY REPORT
- F Anthony Duclair | Games Missed: 30
- F Anton Lundell | Games Missed: 6
- D Radko Gudas | Games Missed: 5
- F Patric Hornqvist | Games Missed: 5
- G Spencer Knight | Games Missed: 4
- F Carter Verhaeghe | Games Missed: 1
Total Man Games Lost Due to Injury: 78
LAST GAME
Panthers 4, Blue Jackets 0 – Dec. 13 – FLA Live Arena
FLA Goals: Montour (6), Tkachuk (14), Barkov (6), Reinhart (8)
CBJ Goals: —
FLA Goalie: Bobrovsky (W) – 22 Saves
CBJ Goalie: Merzlikins (L) – 22 Saves
FLA Shots: 26
CBJ Shots: 22
Notes: Sam Reinhart logged a season-high three points (1-2-3)…Sergei Bobrovsky stopped all 22 shots he faced for his first shutout
of the season…Aleksander Barkov posted two points (1-1-2) for his 150th multi-point game…Gustav Forsling notched two assists
including his 100th NHL point…Grigori Denisenko made his season debut…Matthew Tkachuk (1-1-2) produced his team-leading 14th
multi-point game…Tkachuk has now scored in eight straight games vs. CBJ, the NHL’s longest active goal streak against any one
team…Aaron Ekblad matched Roberto Svehla (573) for most games played by a defenseman in franchise history…FLA PP: 0-3, FLA
PK: 3-3
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- Dec. 14: G Alex Lyon loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
- Dec. 13: F Grigori Denisenko recalled from Charlotte (AHL)
- Dec. 8: G Alex Lyon recalled from Charlotte (AHL) | F Aleksi Heponiemi loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
PANTHERS vs. PENGUINS
ALL-TIME vs. PIT: 42-41-4-13
ALL-TIME HOME vs. PIT: 27-19-1-3
2021-22 vs. PIT: 2-0-1
CATS STATS
- Florida’s 71 goals for at five-on-five play ranks second among NHL teams behind NJD (75) following games played Dec. 13.
- The Panthers have scored the first goal of the game 19 times this season, ranking second behind VGK (20) for the league lead.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Panthers own an 8-3-3 record on home ice this season for a .679 points percentage which ranks sixth among all clubs following
games played Dec. 13. Among teams with at least 14 games played at home, Florida’s 40 goals against rank tied for eighth-fewest and
their 3.71 goals per game rank sixth. The Panthers lead the league in shots on goal per game at home (37.5). Matthew Tkachuk’s 1.54
points per game at home this season rank eighth among skaters with at least 13 home games played. The Cats are also one of eight
NHL teams with multiple shutouts on home ice this season.
CATS AND PENS
The Panthers and Penguins will face off against one another for the first time in 2022-23. Florida owns a 4-1-1 record against Pittsburgh
over six meetings since Oct. 22, 2019, including a 2-0-1 mark in 2021-22. Carter Verhaeghe (3-2-5) and Aleksander Barkov (1-4-5)
each led Florida with five points against Pittsburgh last season, and Aaron Ekblad (3-0-3) tied Verhaeghe for the most goals against
the Penguins in 2021-22. Barkov has amassed 20 points (5-15-20) over 23 career games vs. Pittsburgh.
‘TIS THE SEASON
Matthew Tkachuk leads the Panthers with 10 points (4-6-10) over seven games in December, which are tied for sixth-most among
League skaters following games played Dec. 13. 13 different Panthers skaters have registered at least three points so far this month,
including four defensemen.
BOOMIN’ BLUELINE
20 of Florida’s goals this season have come from defensemen, the second-most goals by d-men among NHL teams this season behind
NYI (21). Florida’ 75 points by blueliners also ranks second through games played Dec. 13, behind SJS (82).
Florida Panthers: Media Notes
CHUCKIE’S CHEESE
Matthew Tkachuk posted his team-leading 14th multi-point game (1-1-2) Dec. 13 vs. CBJ. He also posted his third plus-four rating in
the game, the most of any NHL skater this season. Tkachuk posted at least a point in four straight games from Dec. 1-8 (2-5-8), his
third point streak of at least four games in 2022-23. He leads Florida with 39 points (14-25-39) this season, one shy of matching Pavel
Bure (29 GP, 1999-00) for fastest instance of a Panthers player reaching 40 points in a season in franchise history. His 37 points
through his first 25 games in 2022-23 were both the most by any Panthers skater through their first 25 games with the franchise and the
most by any Panthers skater through their first 25 games of a season in franchise history. The Scottsdale, Ariz. Native also paces the
Cats in assists (25), PIMs (45), points per game (1.39), even-strength goals (12), even-strength points (27), power-play points (12) and
shots on goal (107). He also leads Florida in assists (13) and points (20) at home this season.
Most Points by a Panthers Skater Through first 25 Games with the Franchise
- Matthew Tkachuk 2022-23 37 Points (13-24-37)
- Pavel Bure 1998-99 to 1999-00 30 Points (21-9-30)
- Kris Versteeg 2011-12 28 Points (12-16-18)
Most Points by a Panthers Skater Through First 25 Games of a Season
- Matthew Tkachuk 2022-23 37 Points (13-24-37)
- Pavel Bure 1999-00 34 Points (21-13-34)
- Jonathan Huberdeau 2019-20 31 Points (10-21-31)
BARKOV COUNTY
Panthers Captain Aleksander Barkov posted two points (1-1-2) Dec. 13 vs. CBJ for his sixth multi-point game this season and 150th
multi-point game of his career, and logged a plus-three rating. He notched one assist Dec. 8 vs. DET after missing Florida’s prior six
contests. He has registered 21 points (5-16-21) over 23 games in 2022-23, leading Florida with a 59.6 faceoff win percentage. His five
multi-assist games are tied with Matthew Tkachuk for the most on Florida this season. Barkov sits at 66 career power-play goals, tied
with Scott Mellanby for the most in Panthers history. Over his past eight games played, Barkov has produced 10 points (3-7-10). Barkov
is also two even-strength goals away from surpassing Jonathan Huberdeau (150) for the franchise record.
EK’S GON’ GIVE IT TO YA
Aaron Ekblad skated in his 573rd NHL game Dec. 13 vs. CBJ, surpassing Roberto Luongo for sixth-most games played in franchise
history. Ekblad also posted a plus-three rating in the game. He notched his 202nd NHL assist to surpass Keith Yandle for second-most
by a defenseman in franchise history and sixth-most by a Panthers skater Dec 8 vs. DET. He logged his 611th career blocked shot
Dec. 6 at WPG, surpassing Dmitry Kulikov for the most blocked shots in franchise history (since the NHL began tracking in 2005-06).
Ekblad logged his 200th NHL assist Nov. 29 at CGY to cap his point streak at five games (3-4-7 from Nov. 20-29), tied for the longest
by a Panthers skater this season. He was the third blueliner to reach 200 assists with Florida. Ekblad notched his 199th career assist
Nov. 28 at EDM for his 300th NHL point (101-198-299). He was the first Panthers defenseman to reach the mark with Florida and the
first blueliner from the 2014 draft class to post 300 points. He scored his 100th career goal Nov. 23 vs. BOS and produced a seasonhigh three points (1-2-3). The Windsor, Ontario native will surpass Robert Svehla (573) for most games played by a defenseman in club
history with his next game played.
All-Time Games Played, Panthers History
- Jonathan Huberdeau (F) 671 GP
- Stephen Weiss (F) 654 GP
- Aleksander Barkov (F) 619 GP
- Radek Dvorak 613 GP
T-5. Robert Svehla (D) 573 GP
T-5. Aaron Ekblad (D) 573 GP
‘HART OF GOLD
Forward Sam Reinhart produced a season-high three points (1-2-3) Dec. 13 vs. CBJ and posted a plus-four rating, tied for the best by
a Panthers skater this season. He notched an assist Dec. 8 vs. DET and posted a season-high seven shots on goal, and he produced
at least one point in five consecutive games (2-5-7) from Nov. 23-Dec. 1, tied for the longest point streak on Florida this season.
Reinhart scored a power-play goal in three consecutive games from Nov. 15-19, behind only Anthony Duclair and Evgenii Dadonov (4
games each) for the longest PPG streak in franchise history. His five power-play tallies are the most on Florida this season, and he has
logged seven power-play points. The West Vancouver, B.C. native has produced 17 points (8-9-17) over his past 19 games.
BENNY AND THE CATS
Forward Sam Bennett has logged six points (2-4-6) over his past six games, and 17 points (6-11-17) over his past 17 contests. He
matched his career high with three assists Dec. 3 at SEA, and he logged his second multi-goal game of the season (2-0-2) Dec. 1 at
VAN. He also produced three assists while skating in his 500th NHL game Nov. 17 vs. DAL. Bennett’s five third-period tallies are tied
for the team lead with Matthew Tkachuk. He has registered eight multi-point games this season, tied with Carter Verhaeghe for
second-most on the team. The Holland Landing, Ontario native’s 88 shots on goal are fourth-most on Florida and his 73 hits lead
Florida forwards.
MONTOUR OF DUTY
Brandon Montour scored his sixth goal of the season Dec. 13 vs. CBJ. He skated in his 400th NHL game Dec. 10 at TBL, and he has
produced 23 points (6-17-23) through his first 28 games of 2022-23. With his assist Nov. 28 at EDM, he surpassed Aaron Ekblad (22
GP, 2021-22) for the fewest games to reach the 20-point mark in a season among Panthers blueliners in club history. The Brantford,
Ontario native leads Florida blueliners in assists and points. Montour’s seven points from Nov. 6-9 tied Bryan McCabe (1-6-7, March 3-
6, 2010) for the most points in a two-game span by a Panthers defenseman in club history. He matched his career high with four points
(1-3-4) Nov. 6 at ANA, also tying the franchise record for single-game points by a defenseman. He became the eighth blueliner in club
history to post four points in a regular season game, and he skated a career-high 30:41 total time on ice Nov. 3 at SJS.
JUST THE TWO OF GUS
Defenseman Gustav Forsling notched his third multi-assist performance of the season Dec. 13 vs. CBJ. His first helper in the game
represented his 100th NHL point. Forsling’s 720:14 total time on ice this season ranked seventh among NHL skaters following games
played Dec. 13. He scored a goal in consecutive games from Dec. 1-3. He has amassed 20 points (4-16-20) in 2022-23, including 16
even-strength points which are the most among Panthers defensemen. Forsling notched an assist in five straight games (0-6-6) from
Nov. 12-20, the longest assist/point streak of his career. He also posted a four-game assist/point streak earlier this season (1-4-5, 4GP
Oct. 15-21). He logged a career-high seven shots on goal Nov. 1 at ARI. His 91 total shots this season are the most among Panthers
blueliners.
WHAT ABOUT BOB?
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky earned his 38th NHL shutout Dec. 13 vs. CBJ, stopping all 22 shots he faced in the game. Over his past
five appearances since Dec. 6, Bobrovsky owns a .921 save percentage and 2.16 goals against average. He stopped a season-high 41
shots for a .953 save percentage Nov. 15 vs. WSH. His 41 saves were his most since stopping 42 shots against Jan. 11 vs. VAN.
Bobrovsky appeared in his 600th NHL game Nov. 5 at LAK, becoming the 53rd goaltender in league history to reach the mark. His 339
career wins were the most through a goaltender’s first 600 appearances in NHL history.
OH WHAT A KNIGHT
Goaltender Spencer Knight earned at least one point in six consecutive decisions (3-0-3) from Nov. 19-Dec. 1. He has surrendered
five goals over his past three starts since Dec. 1 for a .940 save percentage and 2.12 goals against average, the third-best SV% among
goaltenders over that span (Dec. 1-Dec. 6). Knight appeared in his 50th NHL game Dec. 3 at SEA and earning his 30th NHL win Dec. 1
at VAN. His 49 games were the fewest games required to reach the 30-win mark with Florida in franchise history. Knight stopped all 40
Carolina shots he faced Nov. 9 vs. CAR to earn his third career shutout. The 21-year-old native of Darien, Conn., owns a 31-13-6
record over his first 50 NHL games.
SUPER STAAL BROS.
Eric and Marc Staal have combined for seven assists and eight points (1-7-8) over Florida’s past eight games. Eric scored his first goal
of the season Dec. 11 vs. SEA, marking his 442nd NHL goal, surpassing Steve Larmer and Rick Vaive for 67th on the all-time NHL
goals list. His 442 tallies rank fifth among active skaters. Marc led Florida with a plus-three rating and four blocked shots Dec. 8 vs.
DET, and Eric recorded a season-high six shots on goal Dec. 6 at WPG. The Thunder Bay, Ontario natives have combined for 2,365
total NHL games and 1,257 points.
GOTTA GO TO MO’
Nov. 15 vs. WSH marked Paul Maurice’s 1,700th game as an NHL head coach, becoming the fourth in League history to reach the
mark. He earned his 783rd win as an NHL head coach Nov. 9 vs. CAR, surpassing legendary bench boss Al Arbour for sixth-most in
League history. He is one of three coaches to earn at least 300 wins with two different franchises. He is 11 wins away from achieving
his 800th NHL win as a head coach.
