Game Notes
Jake Guentzel has points in 18 of his last 20 games (9G-14A). Since this stretch began on Oct. 24, no Penguin has more points than his 23.
Erik Karlsson (19) is on the brink of hitting the 20-point plateau. He is looking to become the fifth player on Pittsburgh to accomplish this feat, joining Jake Guentzel (29), Sidney Crosby (27), Evgeni Malkin (21) ,and Bryan Rust (20). Only Edmonton (5), Tampa Bay (5), and Vancouver (5) have more players with 20-plus points.
Last season, no player in the NHL had more points against the Florida Panthers than Kris Letang, who tallied seven points (4G-3A) in three games. His four goals versus them trailed only Auston Matthews (5G in 4GP).
Reilly Smith has 14 points (7G-7A) in 17 games against his former club. Smith appeared in 162 games with Florida from 2015.17, notching 87 points (40G-47A).
Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby leads Pittsburgh in goals (15) and is second in points (27) and multi-point games (5). Crosby has registered points in 20 of 25 games this season (80.0%), Crosby, who ranks 15th in NHL history with 1,529 points (565G-963A), is two points shy of tying Paul Coffey for 14th place on the NHL’s all-time points list.
Jake Guentzel scored the lone goal for Pittsburgh on Wednesday night, extending his point streak to seven games (4G-4A). Going back further, Guentzel has points in 15 of his last 16 games (8G-12A) and has notched a point in 21 of 25 games this year. His 21 games with a point are tied for first in the NHL.
The Penguins have been one of the NHL’s best teams at 5-on-5 play this season. Pittsburgh’s 57 goals for at 5-on-5 only are tied for third in the NHL, and the Penguins have the NHL’s top-two point scorers at even strength: Jake Guentzel (26) and Sidney Crosby (24).
The goaltending trio of Tristan Jarry, Alex Nedeljkovic, and Magnus Hellberg have been exceptional for the Penguins this season. No team has more shutouts than Pittsburgh’s five (Jarry, 3; Nedljkovic, 3; Team Combination, 1), and the Penguins’ team save percentage of .917 is third in the NHL.
Pittsburgh’s duo of Sidney Crosby (29G-34A-63PTS) and Evgeni Malkin (16G-30A-46PTS) rank third and fifth among all active skaters in points against the Panthers, respectively. Kris Letang (11G-24A) and Erik Karlsson (11G-24A) are both tied for fifth in points against the Panthers among defensemen all-time.
Jeff Carter has played some of his best hockey against the Florida Panthers. In 41 career games, Carter has recorded 16 goals, 21 assists, 37 points, and is plus-10. His 37 points are his third most against any one team, and his 0.95 points-per-game average is second best.
