PITSBURGH PENGUINS NOTES:
LAST 2 GAMES
Oct. 25: Calgary 4, Pittsburgh 1 – Scotiabank Saddledome
PIT Goals: Malkin (PP)
Multiple Points: None
Goalie: DeSmith (32 saves/36 shots)
Key Stats: Evgeni Malkin notched the lone goal for the Penguins, giving them power-play goals in five of seven games
this season.
PP: 1-5
PK: 2-3
Oct. 24: Edmonton 6, Pittsburgh 3 – Rogers Place
PIT Goals: Rakell (PP), Crosby, Rust
Multiple Points: Rakell (1G-1A), Zucker (2A)
Goalie: Jarry (41 saves/47 shots)
Key Stats: Pittsburgh jumped out to a 3-1 lead, but five
unanswered Edmonton goals handed the Penguins their first
regulation loss of the year.
PP: 1-5
PK: 2-3
INJURIES
Position Player Status Consecutive Games Missed Total Games Missed
F Teddy Blueger Upper-Body 7 7
F Jake Guentzel Upper-Body 3 3
F Jason Zucker Undisclosed 1 1
2022-23 Total Regular-Season Man-Games Lost: 11
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Date Transaction
Oct. 23 F Sam Poulin and F Drake Caggiula recalled from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL).
Oct. 23 F Teddy Blueger placed on long-term injured reserve retroactive to Oct. 11.
Oct. 10 D Ty Smith re-assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL).
Oct. 10 D Mark Friedman re-assigned to WBS.
Pittsburgh’s All-Time Record vs. Canucks: 69-40-13
In Pittsburgh: 39-14-8
In Vancouver: 30-26-5
OT Record vs. Canucks: 7-2-4
Shootout Record vs. Canucks: 4-0
2021-22 Results: Pittsburgh went 2-0-0.
Penguins All-Time Point Leaders vs. CANUCKS:
Mario Lemieux – 28GP, 61 PTS (26G-35A)
Jean Pronovost – 35GP, 39 PTS (22G-17A)
Rick Kehoe – 32GP, 37 PTS (19G-18A)
TONIGHT’S GAME
- The Penguins take on the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena for their first of two meetings in the 2022-23 season (TV: ATTSN-PT, SN360; Radio: 105.9 The X).
- The Penguins continue along their season-long five-game, eight-day road trip through Columbus, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Seattle. Thus far Pittsburgh is 1-2-0.
- Last year, the Penguins went 2-0-0 against the Canucks, outscoring them 8-2. Special teams were excellent last year against them, as the power play went 3-for-10 (30%) and the penalty kill was a perfect 4-for-4 (100%).
- The Penguins are 8-3-1 overall in their last 12 games versus the Canucks.
- Here at Rogers Arena, Pittsburgh has wins in six of their last nine games (6-3-0) dating back to Oct. 6, 2011.
QUICK HITS
1) Pittsburgh has historically fared well on its Western Canada swing. Over the last 11 seasons that they’ve made the trip to Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver dating back to the 2007-08 season, they’ve gone 21-8-6 which includes a 8-5-4 record over the last six visits.
2) Danton Heinen, a native of Langley, BC, returns home to face his hometown team for the seventh time in his career. He has one career goal against Vancouver, which came on Nov. 8, 2018 as a member of the Boston Bruins.
3) Evgeni Malkin’s 31 shots on goal this season rank first on Pittsburgh and is tied for 13th in the NHL.
4) Sidney Crosby has 19 points (9G-10A) in 19 career games against the Canucks, including points in eight of his last 10 games versus them (5G-7A).
5) Sidney Crosby thrives when playing in his home country, as he’s picked up points in 19 of his last 25 games in Canadian cities. In those 25 games which date back to Nov. 4, 2017 in Vancouver, Crosby has tallied 29 points (12G-17A).
TEAM NOTES
CLIMBING THE RANKS
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby notched a goal on Monday in Edmonton, moving him into a tie with Hall-of-Famer Adam Oates for 18th place on the
NHL’s all-time points list.
Rank Player GP PTS PTS/GM
17 Bryan Trottier 1,279 1,425 1.11
T-18 Sidney Crosby 1,115 1,420 1.27
T-18 Adam Oates 1,337 1,420 1.06
20 Alex Ovechkin 1,282 1,416 1.11
Crosby began the season tied with Dale Hawerchuk (1,409 PTS) for 22nd place on the NHL’s all-time points list and has since amassed 11 points (3G-7A) in six games this season, tied for the second-most points in the league this season.
SHUTDOWN PAIR
Pittsburgh’s third defensive pairing of P.O Joseph and Jan Rutta have found success early on this season. Joseph has picked up three assists and ranks third on Pittsburgh with a plus-5 in six games, and Rutta has registered three points (2G-1A) and is plus-8 in seven games. Rutta’s two goals lead all Pittsburgh defensemen, while his plus-8 is tied with Rickard Rakell (+8) for first on the team.
According to Natural Stat Trick, the Joseph-Rutta pairing is one of just two defensive pairings in the entire NHL, along with New Jersey’s Ryan Graves and John Marino, to not allow an even-strength goal against this season (min. 50 minutes together). Individually, each player has been on the ice for just one even-strength goal against all year while paired with different teammates.
CANADIAN IN THE CREASE
Goaltender Tristan Jarry has put together a solid start to the 2022-23 campaign, as he’s 4-1-0 with a 2.81 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage through five starts. His four wins are tied for fourth in the league, and he enters tonight’s game three wins shy of 100 in his career.
VANCOUVER CANUCKS NOTES:
CANUCKS VS PENGUINS PREVIEW
TV: Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet 360
Radio: Sportsnet 650
MATCH-UP INFO
• Tonight marks the first of two meetings between the Canucks and Penguins this season: Oct. 28 (home) and Jan. 10 (away).
• The Canucks are 4-6-0 in their last 10 games vs Pittsburgh (1-4-0 in their last five)
• The Canucks are 42-65-11-4 all-time against the Penguins, including a 27-27-4-3 record at home against Pittsburgh.
• Among active Canucks skaters, J.T. Miller leads the team in career points vs Pittsburgh with 16 points (8-8-16) in 23 games.
• Thatcher Demko is 0-3-0 in his career against Pittsburgh with an .882 save-percentage.
• Spencer Martin has yet to face the Penguins in his career.
LAST MEETING – DEC. 4/21: VAN 1 vs PIT 4
Vasily Podkolzin tied the game with his fifth goal of the season at 6:18 in the second period…Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Brock Boeser recorded the assists…Quinn Hughes led the Canucks in shots (4)…Tyler Myers logged a team-high in TOI (26:04) and blocked shots (5)…Elias Pettersson won 10 of 14 face-offs…Thatcher Demko faced 44 shots.
2022.23 TEAM RANKS
VAN PIT
Goals For/Game 2.88 (25th) 4.29 (1st)
Goals Against/Game 4.25 (28th) 3.00 (t-11th)
Power Play % 22.2 (t-17th) 24.1 (11th)
Penalty Kill % 60.0 (32nd) 72.0 (28th)
Penalty Min./Game 10:45 (t-19th) 7:42 (6th)
LAST GAME PLAYED – OCT. 27/22: VAN 5 at SEA 4
Ilya Mikheyev opened the scoring with his first goal as a Canuck at 4:38 in the first period…Luke Schenn and Andrei Kuzmenko each recorded their second assists of the season on the play…Mikheyev buried his second goal of the game to even the score at 3:58 in the second period on the power play…Sheldon Dries and Conor Garland registered the assists…Andrei Kuzmenko gave Vancouver a 3-2 lead on the power play at 14:17 in the second period, assisted by J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson…Pettersson also added a goal of his own at 1:16 in the third period, with Luke Schenn collecting his second assist of the evening…Conor Garland scored an empty-net goal, which would be the eventual GWG, at 18:35 in the third period, unassisted…Luke Schenn led the team in hits (7)…Bo Horvat won 22 of 30 face-offs (73%)…Thatcher Demko faced 36 shots.
LAST 5 vs PITTSBURGH
• Dec. 4/21: VAN 1 vs PIT 4
• Nov. 24/21: VAN 1 at PIT 4
• Dec. 21/19: VAN 4 vs PIT 1
• Nov. 27/19: VAN 6 at PIT 8
• Oct. 2718: VAN 0 vs PIT 5
TRADE ALERT – CANUCKS ACQUIRE STUDNICKA FROM BRUINS
Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin announced before the game on Oct. 27 at SEA that the club had acquired forward Jack Studnicka from the Boston Bruins in exchange for goaltender Michael DiPietro and defenceman Jonathan Myrenberg. Studnicka, 23, has accumulated seven points (1-6-7) and 10 penalty minutes in 38 games played at the NHL level and 96 points (34-62-96) in 117 AHL contests.
BOUDREAU REACHES 600 WINS
Thanks to Vancouver’s 5-3 win on Oct. 27 at SEA, Canucks Head Coach Bruce Boudreau became the 22nd coach in NHL history and just the fifth active head coach to reach 600 regular season wins with a record of 600-322-127. Among coaches with 600 wins to their name, Boudreau’s 1,049 games coached are the second-fewest required to reach the mark, while his .633 points percentage ranks second only to Scotty Bowman (.657).
ELIAS PETTER-CENT
Netting his third goal of the season on Oct. 18 at CBJ, Elias Pettersson registered his 100th career NHL goal, requiring the second-fewest games in Canucks history to reach the mark among players to debut with the franchise, trailing only Pavel Bure (154 GP).
• The goal also tied Pettersson with Jake Guentzel (PIT) and Brayden Point (TBL) as the ninth-fastest active player to reach 100 career goals. He also is the first player from the 2017 NHL draft class to reach the milestone.
SHORTHANDED SHOOTER
Opening the scoring with a shorthanded tally on Oct. 18 at CBJ, Bo Horvat passed Matt Cooke for sole possession of eighth-most shorthanded goals in franchise history (9), and now sits just one back of tying Ryan Kesler (10) for seventh-most. Pavel Bure holds the club record with 24 shorthanded goals.
SPENCE-TACULAR
Turning aside 29 shots in an overtime defeat on Oct. 18 at CBJ, Spencer Martin improved his record with the Canucks to 3-0-4, and now sits just one game back of tying Curt Ridley (6-0-2 in 1975.76) as the only goaltender in franchise history to earn at least a point in each of his eight starts with the team.
HOMEGROWN TALENT
Making his 137th NHL regular season appearance on Oct. 12 at EDM, Thatcher Demko gained sole possession of most games played in franchise history by a Canucks-drafted goaltender, surpassing Glen Hanlon’s mark of 136 games. Following Vancouver’s 5-4 win at Seattle on Oct. 27, Demko now stands just four wins away from tying Gary Smith for sixth-most wins among all goalies in team history.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
• Jack Studnicka acquired from Boston in exchange for Michael DiPietro and Jonathan Myrenberg, Oct. 27
• Travis Dermott placed on LTIR, Oct. 27
• Riley Stillman placed on injured reserve, Oct. 27
• Sheldon Dries and William Lockwood recalled from Abbotsford, Oct. 26
• Brock Boeser and Curtis Lazar placed on injured reserve, Oct. 26
• Noah Juulsen recalled from Abbotsford, Oct. 24
• Quinn Hughes placed on injured reserve, Oct. 24
• Tucker Poolman placed on LTIR, Oct. 24
• Guillaume Brisebois recalled from Abbotsford, Oct. 24
• Tucker Poolman placed on injured reserve, Oct. 24
• Noah Juulsen assigned to Abbotsford, Nils Höglander recalled from Abbotsford, Oct. 23
• Nils Höglander assigned to Abbotsford, Noah Juulsen recalled from Abbotsford, Oct. 22
THE LAST TIME…
• The Canucks won when leading after 1P: Apr. 18/22 vs DAL
• The Canucks lost when leading after 1P: Oct. 15/22 at PHI
• The Canucks lost in OT/SO when leading after 1P: Oct. 18//22 at CBJ
• The Canucks won when leading after 2P: Apr. 18/22 vs DAL
• The Canucks lost when leading after 2P: Oct. 17/22 at WSH
• The Canucks lost in OT/SO when leading after 2P: Oct. 20 at MIN
• The Canucks won when trailing after 1P: Oct. 27/22 at SEA
• The Canucks lost when trailing after 1P: Oct. 22/22 vs BUF
• The Canucks lost in OT/SO when trailing after 1P: Apr. 3/22 vs VGK
• The Canucks won when trailing after 2P: Mar. 5/22 at TOR
• The Canucks lost when trailing after 2P: Oct. 22/22 vs BUF
• The Canucks lost in OT/SO when trailing after 2P: Oct. 18/22 vs CBJ
• The Canucks won when tied after 1P: Apr. 12/22 vs VGK
• The Canucks lost when tied after 1P: Oct. 24/22 vs CAR
• The Canucks lost in OT/SO when tied after 1P: Oct. 20 at MIN
• The Canucks won when tied after 2P: Oct. 27/22 at SEA
• The Canucks lost when tied after 2P: Oct. 24/22 vs CAR
• The Canucks lost in OT/SO when tied after 2P: Mar. 20/22 vs BUF
VANCOUVER’S 2022.23 RECORD WHEN…
• Score 4+ Goals: 1-1-0
• Score 3 Goals or Less: 0-4-2
• Scoring First: 1-2-0
• Allow 4+ Goals: 1-3-1
• Allow 3 Goals or Less: 0-2-0
• Allowing First Goal: 0-3-1
• On 0 Days Rest: 0-0-0
• On 1 Day Rest: 0-3-1
• On 2 Days Rest: 1-1-0
• On 3+ Days Rest: 0-1-0
• Score a PPG: 1-4-0
• Give up a PPG: 1-5-1
• 25 or More Shots on Goal: 0-4-2
• Less than 25 shots: 1-1-0
THREE STARS – OCTOBER
• Horvat – 5 pts
• Kuzmenko – 5 pts
• Mikheyev – 5 pts
• Miller – 5 pts
• Pettersson – 5 pts
