Zirakzigil
Global Moderator
vs
PENGUINS (26-17-9) at SHARKS (17-26-11)
10:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCA, ATTSN-PT, ESPN+, SN NOW
Penguins projected lineup
Jake Guentzel -- Sidney Crosby -- Rickard Rakell
Jason Zucker -- Evgeni Malkin -- Bryan Rust
Brock McGinn -- Jeff Carter -- Kasperi Kapanen
Ryan Poehling -- Teddy Blueger -- Josh Archibald
Brian Dumoulin -- Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson -- Jeff Petry
Pierre-Olivier Joseph -- Chad Ruhwedel
Casey DeSmith
Dustin Tokarski
Scratched: Drew O'Connor, Danton Heinen, Mark Friedman
Injured: Tristan Jarry (upper body), Jan Rutta (upper body)
Sharks projected lineup
Timo Meier -- Tomas Hertl -- Noah Gregor
Michael Eyssimont -- Logan Couture -- Alexander Barabanov
Nick Bonino -- Nico Sturm -- Oskar Lindblom
Evgeny Svechnikov -- Steven Lorentz -- Kevin Labanc
Scott Harrington -- Erik Karlsson
Marc-Edouard Vlasic -- Matt Benning
Jacob MacDonald -- Mario Ferraro
Aaron Dell
Kaapo Kahkonen
Scratched: Nick Cicek
Injured: Luke Kunin (knee), Markus Nutivaara (lower body), Radim Simek (upper body), James Reimer (illness), Jonah Gadjovich (upper body)
Status report
The Penguins held an optional morning skate Tuesday. ... DeSmith will make his seventh straight start. ... Dell is expected to start after he made eight saves in relief of Kahkonen in a 4-1 win at the Washington Capitals on Sunday... Gadjovich, a forward, is week to week after being
injured Sunday; Labanc will take his place on the fourth line.
GAME PREVIEW
The Penguins conclude their California road trip with a visit to San Jose to take on the Sharks at SAP Center. The Penguins have won 12 of their last 16 games versus Western Conference opponents. They are 14-9-0 versus the West this season. The Penguins are averaging 3.8 goals per game over the last five games following a game where they were shut out. Tonight's game is the Penguins' final game in the pacific time zone.
QUICK HITSSidney Crosby enters tonight's game with points in nine of his last 10 games (3G-11A). Since this stretch began on Jan. 16, Crosby's 14 points rank second on team.
Bryan Rust has 10 points (5G-5A) in nine career games against San Jose. His 1.11 points-per-game average versus them is his second highest against one team (St. Louis, 1.33).
Sidney Crosby has faced San Jose netminder James Reimer nine times in his career. In those games, he has nine goals on 33 shots (27.3 shooting percentage).
Defenseman Marcus Pettersson is currently four blocked shots away from tying his career high of 108 set in 84 games during the 2018-19 season.
Pittsburgh has 34 goals over its last 10 games dating back to Jan. 16. In that span, the team's 3.40 goals-per-game average is tied for sixth in the NHL.
Game Preview: 02.14.23 at SJS | Pittsburgh Penguins
GAME 53 | FEB. 14PIT: 26-16-10 (61 pts) | SJS: 17-26-11 (45 pts)10:30 PM ET | SAP CENTERWATCH: ATTSN (LOCAL), ESPN+ (NATIONAL) | LISTEN: 105.9 The X, Penguins Radio Network
www.nhl.com