QUICK HITS
Philip Tomasino has points in three of his four career games versus the Rangers (2G-1A).
Anthony Beauvillier has 25 points (13G-12A) in 31 career games against New York. It’s the most goals and points he’s recorded against any one team.
Michael Bunting has nine points (5G-4A) over his last 14 games after recording just one point (1A) in his first 12 games.
Pittsburgh has points in nine of 11 games when Blake Lizotte is in the lineup (7-2-2). He has multiple points in back-to-back games (1G-3A) for just the second time in his career (2G-2A in a two-game span from Feb. 17-18, 2023). With a point tomorrow, he could tie his career-long point streak of three games set four times, most recently from Dec. 16-19, 2021 (2G-1A).
FOUR-GAME FURY
The Penguins are riding a four-game win streak that began with their 5-4 win against the Vancouver Canucks on November 27. Pittsburgh's current win streak is their longest of the season and first since April 1-6, 2024 (4-0-0). The team is looking for their first five-game win streak since November 4-14, 2023 (5-0-0).
The stars have led the charge in this current win streak but have shared the wealth across the roster. Pittsburgh has had 11 different goal scorers and 16 different point scorers in this span.
TOMMA MIA!
Since acquiring forward Philip Tomasino from the Nashville Predators on November 25, the Penguins are undefeated, due in large part to the forward’s three points (2G-1A) and two game-winning goals. Tomasino’s active three-game point streak is his longest such streak since November 18-24, 2023 when he recorded a four-game point streak (4A).
Since November 29, Tomasino leads Pittsburgh with 12 shots and two game-winning goals, and he is tied for first with two goals and tied for third with three points (2G-1A).
THE ROOK BESTS THE KNIGHT
On Tuesday, rookie Owen Pickering tallied his first-career NHL goal against Florida goaltender Spencer Knight. In doing so, Pickering became the 11th-youngest defenseman in Penguins history, and youngest blueliner since Olli Maatta (19 years, 58 days) on Oct. 19, 2013, to score his first NHL goal (20 years, 311 days).
During the Crosby Era (2005-Present), only three defensemen notched their first NHL goal at a younger age than Pickering: Maatta, Kris Letang, and Simon Despres.
CROSBY 1,300
Tonight, Sidney Crosby is set to become the 72nd player in NHL history to reach 1,300 regular-season games played. Crosby, who already ranks 10th in NHL history with 1,622 points (600G-1,022A), is set to have the fourth-most points through their first 1,300 games played in league history. Crosby has notched at least one point in 70.1% of his career games (918/1,299).
He enters the game with a five-game point streak (1G-5A) and has points in nine of his last 10 games (2G-8A). Crosby has registered 1,022 assists in his illustrious career, which is just one shy of tying Gordie Howe for the fifth-most assists with a franchise in NHL history. Crosby is also one multi-point performance back of tying Steve Yzerman (477) for seventh place on the NHL’s all-time multi-point games list.
DYNAMIC DUO
Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang have combined on 305 goals in their careers. They are one goal shy of tying Boston’s Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr for the second-most goals combined on by a forward-defenseman duo in NHL history.
IN RUST WE TRUST
Winger Bryan Rust enters this game one point shy of surpassing Mark Recchi for 16th place on the franchise’s all-time points list.
Ten (6G-4A) of Rust’s 13 points this season have come at home. His 0.91 points-per-game average at home is second on Pittsburgh.
NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
Sidney Crosby has historically been successful against the New York Rangers. In 86 career games versus the Rangers, Crosby has registered 40 goals, 68 assists and 108 points. Crosby’s points-per-game average (1.26) against the Rangers is 10th in NHL history (min. 25 GP), and no active player has more points versus New York than him.
