Head coach:Mike Sullivan (Eighth season)
Season Stats:Goals per game: 5.00 (1st) | Scoring defense: 2.00 (2nd) | PP: 31.3 percent (5th) | PK: 72.2 percent (25th)
The narrative: It's hard to wrap your mind around it, but the 2016 and '17 Stanley Cup champions haven't won a playoff series since 2017-18. Largely the same crew is attempting to break that streak this season, as the Pens went into the offseason seemingly considering saying goodbye to Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang for contract reasons before re-upping both to deals that should allow them to finish their careers with Sidney Crosby in the Steel City.
2021-22 leaders:You'll recognize the names. CBJ killer Jake Guentzel led the way for Pittsburgh with 40 goals and 84 points, with the latter mark tying him with Crosby atop the team chart thanks to Sid the Kid's 31-53-84 line. Kris Letang had 10 goals and 68 points, while Bryan Rust posted a 24-34-58 line in 60 games and Malkin had 20-22-42 in 41 games. In net, Tristan Jarry was an All-Star thanks to a 34-18-6 record, 2.42 GAA and .919 save percentage.
What's new:Eight of the top nine scorers return (Evan Rodrigues is the lone player missing), and the forward group is largely the same, though youngster Ryan Poehling has been added after the first-round pick's career didn't take off in Montreal. The defensive corps is reworked, though, with Jan Rutta brought in from Tampa Bay and Jeff Petry added from Montreal to add some veteran wiles to the cause.
Pittsburgh has scored six goals in all three home games thus far, beating Arizona (6-2), Tampa Bay (6-2) and Los Angeles (6-1), but the team did lose its lone road game in overtime at Montreal (3-2). Crosby leads the way with a 2-5-7 line, while Guentzel (3-2-5), Malkin (3-2-5) and Rust (2-3-5) follow. Guentzel will not play tonight after being dinged up against the Kings on Thursday night.
Trending: The Penguins swept the four-game season series a year ago as Columbus has won just two of the last 16, though the Jackets are 4-4-1 in the last nine in Nationwide Arena.