Penguins at Coyotes preview

PENGUINS (16-14-3) at COYOTES (7-22-5)
8 p.m. ET; FS-A PLUS, ATTSN-PT, NHL.TV

Arizona is 0-4-1 in its past five games and has scored five goals in that span. The Coyotes are 1-6-2 in their past nine.
Pittsburgh has lost its past three games, all in regulation. A four-game losing streak would be the longest of the season for Pittsburgh, which is 1-4-0 in its past five games, each decided by one goal.

Players to watch

Penguins center Sidney Crosby has seven goals and 16 points in his past 11 games. He has 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) in 15 games against the Coyotes.
Forward Derek Stepan leads the Coyotes in scoring at home with 13 points (three goals, 10 assists). Stepan has one goal and seven assists during a six-game point streak at Gila River Arena.

They said it

"We certainly trust this group of players, this core group, this leadership. They've been through so much and have overcome so many challenges in my tenure here. There's no reason we can't continue to do that." -- Penguins coach Mike Sullivan to The Athletic on their recent struggles
"He's becoming the player that we drafted, a dog on a bone. He's a gritty, skilled-type player and we're seeing it right now on a consistent basis." -- Coyotes assistant general manager Steve Sullivan on 2015 first-round pick Nick Merkley, who was recalled from Tucson of the American Hockey League on Friday

Penguins projected lineup

Jake Guentzel -- Sidney Crosby --
Dominik Simon
Patric Hornqvist -- Evgeni Malkin -- Phil Kessel
Carl Hagelin -- Riley Sheahan -- Conor Sheary
Bryan Rust -- Carter Rowney -- Ryan Reaves
Brian Dumoulin -- Kris Letang
Olli Maatta -- Chad Ruhwedel
Matt Hunwick -- Ian Cole
Matt Murray
Tristan Jarry
Scratched: Josh Archibald, Kevin Czuczman, Tom Kuhnhackl
Injured: Justin Schultz (lower body)

Coyotes projected lineup

Brendan Perlini -- Derek Stepan -- Tobias Rieder
Max Domi -- Christian Dvorak -- Anthony Duclair
Clayton Keller --
Dylan Strome
-- Christian Fischer
Jordan Martinook -- Brad Richardson -- Nick Cousins
Oliver Ekman-Larsson -- Jason Demers
Jakob Chychrun -- Alex Goligoski
Kevin Connauton -- Luke Schenn
Antti Raanta
Scott Wedgewood
Scratched:Joel Hanley, Nick Merkley
Injured:Niklas Hjalmarsson (upper body), Zac Rinaldo (illness)

Status report

Kuhnhackl practiced Friday, rotating with Crosby's line. He has missed the past three games with an upper-body injury. … Rinaldo did not practice Friday and will be a game-time decision. He did not play in a 4-1 home loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. … Merkley has 24 points (12 goals, 12 assists) in 20 games this season with Tucson.

Stat pack

Kessel has 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in his past 11 games. Hornqvist has no points in his past four games after he had four goals and four assists during a six-game point streak. … Keller has seven points (one goal, six assists) in his past 18 games after getting 13 points (eight goals, five assists) in his previous 10.