Blake Lizotte spent the first six seasons of his professional career with the Los Angeles Kings organization from 2018-24. With the Kings, Lizotte appeared in 320 regular-season games, recording 106 points (37G-69A).
Evgeni Malkin has more game-winning goals (4) against the Los Angeles Kings than any active Eastern Conference player. Additionally, he has 20 points in 22 career games against the Kings, recording nine goals and 11 assists.
Bryan Rust has seven goals, four assists and 11 points in 12 career games against the Kings, which includes six goals and eight points (6G-2A) in his last seven games versus them.
Erik Karlsson ranks fourth among active blueliners in points versus Los Angeles. In 35 career games he’s notched four goals, 28 assists and 32 points. He enters tomorrow’s game with an active four-game assist/point streak (5A) against them.
* Forward Michael Bunting is set to appear in his 300th career NHL game tomorrow against Los Angeles. After recording just one point in his first 12 games, Bunting has picked up 13 points (7G-6A) in 19 games. He leads Pittsburgh with four power-play goals and is just three power-play tallies off his career high. Bunting’s first 299 career games have come split between Pittsburgh, Toronto, Arizona and Carolina.
* Over the last seven games, defenseman Kris Letang is tied for the team lead in points with nine (5G-4A), which includes an active four-game point streak (3G-2A). Since Nov. 30, his five goals are first among all NHL defensemen and his nine points are tied for the league lead among NHL blueliners.
Letang’s four-game point streak is also the longest active streak among NHL defensemen.
Letang’s five goals during his seven-game span dating back to Nov. 30 mark just the third time in his career he’s scored five or more goals in a seven-game stretch (also Feb. 20-Mar. 4, 2021 and Dec. 31, 2015-Jan. 15, 2016). He has never had six goals in an eight-game span at any point in his career.
* 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.
* Sidney Crosby is one multi-point performance back of surpassing Steve Yzerman (477) for sole possession of seventh place on the NHL’s all-time multi-point games list.
Sidney Crosby is two points shy of tying Joe Sakic for the eighth most points (regular season + playoffs) in NHL history.
Sidney Crosby is just one even-strength goal shy of tying Teemu Selanne for the 12th most even-strength goals in NHL history.
* The Penguins have been filling the net during their 6-2-1 stretch. Since November 27, the Penguins rank first in the NHL in goals. Pittsburgh’s 20 unique goal scorers this season are tied for the fourth most in the NHL.
The Penguins’ power play has picked it up recently, connecting 11 times in the team’s last 12 games. In that span, Pittsburgh’s power-play percentage ranks 10th in the league at 29.7% (11/37), and they rank fifth with 11 power-play goals.
