PITTSBURGH PENGUINS NOTES:
LAST 2 GAMES
Dec. 15: Pittsburgh 4, Florida 2 – FLA Live Arena
PIT Goals: Guentzel (2), Letang (SH), Malkin (PP)
Multiple Points: Guentzel (2G), Crosby (2A), Malkin (1G-1A),
Letang (1G-1A)
Goalie: Jarry (32 saves/34 shots)
Key Stats: Pittsburgh scored at even strength, on the power \play and shorthanded for the second time this season as the team stayed undefeated in December.
PP: 2-3
PK: 3-3
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
INJURIES
Position Player Status Consecutive Games Missed Total Games Missed
D Jeff Petry Upper-Body 2 2
F Jason Zucker Lower-Body 1 1
2022-23 Total Regular-Season Man-Games Lost: 40
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. Hurricanes: 76-59-20
In Pittsburgh: 41-29-8
In Carolina: 35-30-12
OT Record vs. Hurricanes: 10-8-11
Shootout Record vs. Hurricanes: 5-2
2022-23 Results: Pittsburgh is 0-0-1.
Penguins All-Time Point Leaders vs. HURRICANES:
Mario Lemieux: 40 GP, 74 PTS (30G-44A)
Jaromir Jagr: 45 GP, 68 PTS (22G-46A)
Sidney Crosby 52 GP, 59 PTS (19G-40A)
TONIGHT’S GAME
-The Penguins take on the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena for their second of three matchups this season (TV: AT&T SportsNet; Radio 105.9 The X).
-Jake Guentzel and Sidney Crosby each recorded a goal and an assist as the Penguins dropped the first game of the series to the Hurricanes in overtime.
-The Penguins are 12-5-3 in their last 20 games against the Hurricanes overall dating back to Jan. 17, 2016.
-Here in Raleigh, Pittsburgh has points in four-straight games (2-0-2). Going back further, the Penguins have points in eight of their last nine visits to PNC Arena (5-1-3) dating back to Jan. 12, 2016.
-Pittsburgh is 3-0-1 against Metropolitan Division opponents this year, outscoring their opponents by a combined 16-8 margin.
QUICK HITS
1) Jake Guentzel’s five empty net goals this season are tied with Alex Ovechkin for most in the NHL. The franchise record for empty net goals in a season is seven set by Mario Lemieux in 1988-89, and there have only been three instances in team history where a Penguin had six or more empty netters in a season.
2) Evgeni Malkin is averaging nearly a point per game against the Hurricanes, registering 41 points (14G-27A) in 43 games.
3) The Penguins have points in nine-consecutive road games (8-0-1), which is the longest road point streak in franchise history. The previous record was eight road games from Mar. 14-Apr. 14, 1993.
4) Tristan Jarry enters tonight’s game with a six-game winning streak. Only Tampa Bay’s Brian Elliott (7) has a longer active win streak than Jarry. During this streak he has a 2.00 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage.
5) Kris Letang scored his fifth career shorthanded goal on Thursday. In doing so, he surpassed Larry Murphy (4) and Randy Carlyle (4) for most in team history by a defenseman. The only active defensemen with more is Mark Giordano (13).
TEAM NOTES
‘TIS THE SEASON
Pittsburgh enters tonight’s game with a seven-game winning streak, which is the longest active win streak in the NHL. Dating back to November 9, Pittsburgh has points in 16 of its last 18 games overall (14-2-2). Since this 18-game stretch began, no one has picked up more points than the Penguins (30), and they have vaulted from 27th in the league standings to ninth.
Stat First 12 Games Last 18 Games
Record 4-6-2 14-2-2
Points 11 30
PTS% .417 .833
Standings 27th 1st
GF/GM 3.50 3.50
GA/GM 3.67 2.33
WIN-TER WONDERLAND
The Penguins have won each of their last six road games, which is tied with Vancouver (6) for the longest active road winning streak in the league. This season, there has only been one road winning streak longer than the Penguins current streak (New Jersey, 11).
Pittsburgh’s current road win streak is tied for the fourth-longest road winning streak in franchise history:
Year Streak Dates
2015-16 8 Mar. 11-Apr. 7, 2016
2009-10 7 Oct. 3-Nov. 3, 2009
2010-11 7 Nov. 6-Dec. 11, 2010
2022-23 6 Nov. 17, 2022-Present
Four Instances 6 N/A
RAK’N AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE
Rickard Rakell will be playing his 600th NHL game tonight, which have come split between Pittsburgh and the Anaheim Ducks. Rakell, who was drafted by Anaheim in the first round and 30th overall in the 2011 draft, has recorded 170 goals, 202 assists and 372 points through 599 games played.
Team GP G A PTS
Anaheim 550 154 185 339
Pittsburgh 49 16 17 33
Rakell ranks fourth among Swedish players in even-strength goals, sixth in goals and 13th in points since his NHL debut in 2013.
Player GP EVG
Filip Forsberg 595 163
Gabriel Landeskog 656 159
Mika Zibanejad 708 142
Rickard Rakell 599 134
Elias Lindholm 693 132
PENGUINS COACH’S CHALLENGES
2022-23 Record: 3-for-4, 75.0%
All-Time (Since 2015-16): 29-for-52, 55.8%
Last Challenge: (L) Nov. 12, 2022 – Call upheld; Video review confirmed no goaltender interference infractions occurred prior to Cole Caufield’s goal in Montreal.
Type of Challenge: Play Stoppage: 1-for-1, 100.0% Interference: 12-for-28, 42.9% Offsides: 16-for-23, 70.0%
MERRY MALKIN
Evgeni Malkin comes into tonight riding a seven-game point streak, notching two goals and nine assists in that span. Only Connor McDavid (12), Mats Zuccarello (9), Kyle Connor (8), Alex DeBrincat (8), David Pastrnak (8) and Josh Morrissey (8) have longer active point streaks than him. With a point tonight, Malkin would become the first Penguins this season to string together a point streak of eight or more games. He is also one of just four players along with McDavid, Boston’s David Pastrnak and Vancouver’s J.T. Miller to have multiple point streaks of seven or more games this season.
Malkin currently sits two points shy of tying Sergei Fedorov for the second-most points in NHL history among Russian-born players:
Player GP PTS PTS/GM
Alex Ovechkin 1,307 1,445 1.11
Sergei Fedorov 1,248 1,179 0.94
Evgeni Malkin 1,011 1,177 1.16
Alexander Mogilny 990 1,032 1.04
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 920
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.
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 recorded 27 points (13G-14A) in 40 career games against Carolina. When Carter records a point against the Hurricanes, his team is 15-0-3.
2022-23 REGULAR-SEASON SPECIAL TEAMS BREAKDOWN
Power Play Penalty Kill
PPG/PPO PP% Situation Killed/Times SH PK%
22-101 21.8% Overall 78-95 82.1%
19-97 19.6% 5-on-4 78-92 84.8%
1-1 100.0% 5-on-3 0-0 00.0%
2-5 40.0% 4-on-3 0-1 00.0%
NO HOLIDAY HURRICANE
Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby has 59 points (19G-40A) in 52 career games against the Carolina Hurricanes. Crosby’s 59 points versus the Hurricanes are third-most among active players, and his 1.13 points-per-game average against them is fifth best (min. 15 GP).
Player GP G A PTS PTS/GM
Alex Ovechkin 86 47 52 99 1.15
Nicklas Backstrom 64 15 47 62 0.97
Sidney Crosby 52 19 40 59 1.13
John Tavares 43 28 24 52 1.21
Claude Giroux 48 13 33 46 0.96
Crosby has goals/points in four-consecutive games against Carolina (4G-3A) and has 12 points (5G-7A) in his last 11 games versus them. Only Alex Ovechkin (9), Adam Henrique (6) and Steven Stamkos (6) have more game-winning goals against the Hurricanes than Crosby (5).
THE CHRISTMAS TREE-0
The Penguins have found success with the top line trio of Rickard Rakell, Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel, going 15-1-2 in the games that they’ve played together this season (Oct. 13-20, Nov. 17-Present). Below is a look at their production in their 18 games together:
Player GP G A PTS
Sidney Crosby 18 12 18 30
Jake Guentzel 18 10 13 23
Rickard Rakell 18 7 5 12
CAROLINA HURRICANES NOTES:
LAST GAME
The Hurricanes posted a 5-4 overtime win against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on Saturday, extending their point streak to 10 games. Seth Jarvis, Martin Necas, Stefan Noesen, Andrei Svechnikov and Teuvo Teravainen all scored for Carolina, with Noesen and Teravainen converting on the power play. Jalen Chatfield also tallied an assist as Necas registered a career-high eight shots on goal. Don Waddell earned his 500th career win as an NHL general manager, and Antti Raanta made his first appearance in six games, making 26 saves to register the win.
INJURY REPORT
Sebastian Aho, lower-body, missed four games (12/10-12/17)
Frederik Andersen, lower-body, missed 18 games (11/9-12/17)
Jake Gardiner, upper-body, missed 30 games (10/12-12/17)
Ondrej Kase, concussion, missed 29 games (10/14-12/17)
Max Pacioretty, torn Achilles, missed 30 games (10/12-12/17)
2022-23 Man-Games Lost Due to Injury: 123
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Dec. 8 Recalled Maxime Lajoie from Chicago (AHL)
Dec. 7 Assigned Dylan Coghlan to Chicago (AHL) for a conditioning stint
STREAKS
Calvin de Haan has tallied an assist in back-to-back games (12/15-12/17: 2a)
Stefan Noesen has scored a goal in back-to-back games (12/15-12/17: 2g)
Andrei Svechnikov has registered a goal/point in back-to-back games (12/15-12/17)
UPCOMING GAMES
DATE OPPONENT TIME TV RADIO
Dec. 18 Pittsburgh 5 p.m. BSSO HRN
Dec. 20 New Jersey 7 p.m. BSSO HRN
Dec. 22 at Pittsburgh 7 p.m. BSSO/NHLN HRN
Dec. 23 Philadelphia 7 p.m. BSSO HRN
Dec. 27 Chicago 7 p.m. BSSO HRN
- All times are Eastern | BSSO = Bally Sports South | HRN = Hurricanes Radio Network
UPCOMING PRACTICE SCHEDULE
DATE DAY LOCATION TIME
Dec. 18 Sunday No morning skate
Dec. 19 Monday PNC Arena 12 p.m.
Dec. 20 Tuesday PNC Arena 10:30 a.m.
Dec. 21 Wednesday Invisalign Arena 12 p.m.
Dec. 22 Thursday PPG Paints Arena 11:30 a.m.
- All times are local. Times and locations are subject to change.
Carolina Hurricanes: Media Notes
HURRICANES vs. PENGUINS SERIES NOTES
— Carolina is facing Pittsburgh in the second of four meetings between the teams during the 2022-23 season. The Penguins return to PNC Arena on 1/14, and the Hurricanes travel to PPG Paints Arena on 12/22.
— Carolina and Pittsburgh have met 155 times in their regular-season histories. Carolina holds a 68-69-11-7 overall record, including a 37-32-5-3 home record and a 41-39-4-7 record since relocation.
— The Hurricanes lead the season series 1-0-0 in 2021-22 (Penguins: 0-0-1), and they are 6-2-0 in the teams’ last seven matchups (Pittsburgh: 2-3-3).
— Carolina earned a 3-2 overtime win at PPG Paints Arena on 2/20/22. Sebastian Aho (2a), Brett Pesce (1g, 1a) and Andrei Svechnikov (1g, 1a) each posted multi-point games, with Pesce also scoring the overtime winner, while Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 30 of 32 shots faced in net.
— Brent Burns has tallied 18 points (8g, 10a) in 23 career regular-season games against Pittsburgh.
— Jordan Staal played 431 games with Pittsburgh from 2006-12, registering 248 points (120g, 128a) and winning the Stanley Cup in 2009. Selected second overall by the Penguins in the 2006 NHL Draft, Staal was acquired by the Hurricanes in exchange for Brandon Sutter, Brian Dumoulin, and a first-round pick in the 2012 NHL Draft (Derrick Pouliot) on 6/22/12. He has posted 12 points (4g, 8a) in 28 career regular-season games against Pittsburgh.
— Dumoulin was selected by the Hurricanes in the second round, 51st overall, of the 2009 NHL Draft but was traded before playing a game with the organization.
— Stefan Noesen skated in six games with the Penguins in 2019-20, scoring one goal.
— Paul Stastny has recorded 16 points (5g, 11a) in 20 career regular-season games against Pittsburgh.
— Hurricanes Assistant Coach Jeff Daniels was selected by Pittsburgh in the sixth round, 109th overall, of the 1986 NHL Draft. He played 134 games with the Penguins from 1990-94, posting 19 points (8g, 11a).
— Kasperi Kapanen’s father, Sami, was selected by Carolina in the fourth round, 87th overall, of the 1995 NHL Draft and recorded 348 points (145g, 203a) in 520 games with the Hurricanes from 1995-03, representing the team at the All-Star Game in 2000 and 2002.
— Brock McGinn was selected by Carolina in the second round, 47th overall, of the 2012 NHL Draft and earned 106 points (51g, 55a) in 345 games with the Hurricanes from 2015-21. He also tallied 12 points (6g, 6a) in 34 playoff appearances and scored the double-overtime, series-clinching goal at WSH in Game 7 of the 2019 Eastern Conference First Round.
— Penguins President of Hockey Ops Brian Burke served as the Whalers’ General Manager in 1992-93 but resigned from the role to become the NHL’s Senior VP and Director of Hockey Operations.
— Penguins Assistant Coach Mike Vellucci served as the Hurricanes’ Assistant General Manager and Director of Hockey Operations from 2014-19 and also coached the Charlotte Checkers from 2017-19, leading them to a Calder Cup championship in 2019.
CASE-IN-POINTS
With a win over the Stars on Saturday, the Hurricanes have registered a point in 10 consecutive games (11/25-12/17: 8-0-2), tied for the fifth-longest point streak in franchise history. Carolina’s last point streak of double-digit games came in 2020-21, when the Hurricanes tied the franchise record with a 13-game point streak from 4/15/21-5/6/21 (9-0-4).
Point streaks of 10+ games, franchise history:
4/15/21-5/6/21: 9-0-4 in 13 GP
3/9/17-3/30/17: 9-0-4 in 13 GP
10/12/05-11/11/05: 11-0-1 in 12 GP
10/26/02-11/19/02: 5-0-4-2 in 11 GP
11/25/22-12/17/22: 8-0-2 in 10 GP
3/14/09-4/7/09: 9-0-1 in 10 GP
12/29/05-1/19/06: 9-0-1 in 10 GP
1/20/82-2/10/82: 6-0-4 in 10 GP
IN GOOD HANDS
Saturday’s win marked Hurricanes President and General Manager Don Waddell’s 500th career win as an NHL general manager, as he became the 34th GM in NHL history to reach the milestone. He led the Thrashers to 308 wins from 1998-10, and the Hurricanes have now posted a 192-92-34 record in his five seasons as Carolina’s general manager (2018-present), with the third-highest points percentage (.657) of any team over that span. Waddell has become the fourth Whalers/Hurricanes GM to reach the 500-win mark in his career, joining Emile Francis (1983-89), Brian Burke (1992-93) and Jim Rutherford (1994-14). His 192 wins are the third-most by any GM in franchise history behind only Rutherford (655-623-111-101) and Emile Francis (213-225-42), who are both in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
A NOESEN IN THE SUN
After scoring Carolina’s first penalty shot goal in five seasons on Thursday, Stefan Noesen opened the scoring vs. DAL (12/17), giving him goals in back-to-back games for the first time since 2019-20 with SJS (3/3/20-3/5/20: 2g, 1a). The tally came on the power play, where he has now scored four goals this season, tied with Andrei Svechnikov for the team lead. Noesen ranks fourth on the team with seven points in Carolina’s last 10 games (11/25-12/17: 3g, 4a), including points in three of his last four contests (12/10-12/17: 2g, 1a).
FEEL THE BURN
Brent Burns registered two power-play assists vs. DAL (12/17) and now paces all Hurricanes skaters with 18 assists in 2022-23. He also leads the team in power-play assists (9) and power-play points (11), and he has now recorded double-digit points on the man-advantage in 14 of the last 16 seasons (2007-23). His 274 power-play points (78g, 196a) over that span trail only Keith Yandle (ARI/NYR/FLA/PHI, 39-252—291) for the league lead among blueliners. Burns has posted four multi-assist games and five multi-point games in 2022-23, and his four multi-assist games trail only Sebastian Aho (5) for the team high. He has now tallied 799 points (231g, 568a) in his NHL career and needs one more point to become the 18th defenseman in NHL history and the eighth player from the 2003 NHL Draft class to reach the 800-point plateau.
THE GREAT 88
Martin Necas recorded two points (1g, 1a) vs. DAL (12/17) for his team-leading ninth multi-point game of the season, topping his 78-game total from 2021-22 (8). He scored his fourth career overtime goal, tied for the fourth-most in team history (since relocation) and marking the most of any Hurricanes skater since 2019-20. He became the third player to score an overtime goal for Carolina this season, joining Brent Burns (10/29 at PHI) and Brett Pesce (11/29 at PIT). Necas was also the 12th Hurricanes skater to score a game-winning goal in 2022-23, tied with BOS and NJD for the second-most of any team (TOR: 14). Carolina is now 5-6 in games going past regulation and 3-6 in games decided in overtime in this season, and their nine overtime decisions are a league high.
MAKING SVECH HAPPEN
Andrei Svechnikov tallied two points (1g, 1a) vs. DAL (12/17) for his seventh multi-point game of the campaign, and he has now earned four points in his last four games (12/10-12/17: 2g, 2a). His goal marked his team-leading 17th goal in 2022-23 and gave him goals in back-to-back games for the second time this season (10/17-10/20: 5g, 1a). Svechnikov has now scored a team-high 14 of his 17 goals at even strength and ranks tied with Cole Caufield (MTL) and Connor McDavid (EDM) for fourth in the NHL in that category in 2022-23.
TURBO BOOST
Teuvo Teravainen earned two points (1g, 1a) vs. DAL (12/17), including his first goal of the season, for his third multi-point game in 2022-23. He also registered two assists vs. BUF (11/4) and EDM (11/10). Both of Teravainen’s points came on the power play, doubling his point total on the man-advantage through his first 19 games of the campaign (0-1—1).
TAKING ADVANTAGE
Stefan Noesen and Teuvo Teravainen each scored on the power play vs. DAL (12/17), marking the fifth time this season that the Hurricanes converted twice on the man-advantage in a single game (now 3-1-1 in those contests). Carolina has scored nine power-play goals in its last 10 games (11/25-12/17: 9-for-27, 33.3%) after being held without a goal on the man-advantage in six straight contests from 11/12-11/23 (0-for-20).
VITAMIN D
Jalen Chatfield recorded an assist vs. DAL (12/17), marking his first point in 2022-23. Entering tonight’s game, he was one of two NHL skaters without a point this season through at least 29 games played (also Justin Braun, PHI). Chatfield tallied three assists in 16 games with the Hurricanes in 2021-22. Calvin de Haan also tallied an assist for the second straight game, while Brady Skjei added an assist of his own, finding the scoresheet for the fifth time in six games (12/3-12/17: 3g, 2a). With Brent Burns also registering two assists, four different Hurricanes defensemen earned a point in the same game for just the second time this season (11/10 vs. EDM). Carolina’s blue line has combined for 24 points in the team’s last 10 games (11/25-12/17: 6g, 18a; 2.4 points/game) after posting 30 points in the opening 20 contests (10/12-11/23: 7g, 23a; 1.5 points/game).
WORTH A SHOT
Carolina outshot DAL 38-30 on Saturday, and the Hurricanes have now outshot their opponents in 24 of 30 contests this season (now 16-5-3 in those games). Carolina has posted 35+ shots in 17 games in 2022-23, including five of its last eight, and the team’s 17 such games are the third-most of any NHL team this season (FLA, NJD: 19). The Hurricanes are registering the fourth-most shots on goal per game of any team (35.0) while allowing the fewest (26.0), and they were led individually on Saturday by Martin Necas, who posted a career-high eight shots, the most in a single game by any Hurricanes skater this season.
FROM RUSSIA WITH GLOVE
Pyotr Kochetkov allowed his first goal in three games at 11:26 of the second period vs. SEA (12/15), ending his shutout streak at 151:26 dating back to 12/10 at NYI. His streak marked the sixth-longest shutout sequence in franchise history and passed Jason Muzzatti (3/22/96-4/6/96: 130:12) for the longest shutout sequence by any Whalers/Hurricanes rookie netminder. Kochetkov is 6-0-1 in his last seven appearances (11/29-12/15), with two or fewer goals allowed in all six of those wins. Since he was recalled from Chicago on 11/8, Kochetkov leads the NHL in shutouts (3) and ranks fourth in goals-against average (2.01), tied for fifth in wins (8) and tied for eighth in save percentage (.923) among goaltenders with at least five appearances over that span. He also ranks first in shutouts, second in goals-against average and save percentage and third in wins among all rookie netminders this season (min. 2 GP).
Longest shutout sequences, franchise history:
Trevor Kidd, 3/31/98-4/8/98: 219:21
Kevin Weekes, 10/22/03-10/30/03: 183:16
Arturs Irbe, 12/4/98-12/18/98: 156:47
Kevin Weekes, 3/2/03-3/10/03: 155:47
Mike Liut, 12/20/86-12/26/86: 151:34
Pyotr Kochetkov, 12/10/22-12/15/22: 151:26
GOING BACK-TO-BACK
The Hurricanes are closing their fifth of 14 sets of back-to-back games in 2022-23. Following an overtime win vs. DAL (12/17), Carolina is now 2-2-1 in the first game and 4-0-0 in the second game of back-to-backs this season.
