Game Notes
Erik Karlsson is set to become the 398th player in NHL history and the 46th active player to skate in 1,000 career NHL games when he takes the ice against the Boston Bruins. Karlsson is entering his 1,000th game with 813 career points, which is the ninth-most points by a defenseman through his first 1,000 games in NHL history. With two points, Karlsson has the opportunity to tie Penguins Senior Advisor of Hockey Operations and Hall-of-Famer Doug Wilson for eighth place on that list (815).
Erik Karlsson secured the crucial second point for the Penguins on Thursday night against the Red Wings with his 11th career overtime goal. His goal tied teammate Kris Letang for the fourth-most overtime goals by a defenseman in NHL history and marked the 36th overtime point of his career. Karlsson’s goal extended his NHL-record 36 overtime points by a defenseman.
Erik Karlsson’s 52 points (10G-42A) puts him just two away from tying Kevin Hatcher (54) for the fourth-most points among defensemen in their first season with the Penguins. Karlsson has six points (2G-4A) over his last five games played.
Sidney Crosby has 72 points (19G-53A) in 58 career games against the Bruins, which includes 31 points (7G-24A) over his last 27 contests. No active player in the NHL has more points against Boston than Crosby.
Crosby notched three points (1G-2A) and moved into 10th place on the NHL’s all-time points list. Per NHLPR, the last player to enter the top 10 was Jaromir Jagr more than 16 years ago, when he potted four assists with the Rangers at Bell Centre in Montreal on Feb. 19, 2008, to boost his career totals to 636 goals, 945 assists, and 1,581 points in 1,253 games played, overtaking defenseman Ray Bourque (410G-1,169A-1,579PTS in 1,612 GP).
Sidney Crosby has been the driving force behind Pittsburgh’s surge, as he enters today’s game with points in nine of the 10 games (8G-12A). Crosby’s 20 points since Mar. 24 rank first in the NHL. Crosby has points in 13 of his last 15 games overall, accumulating 25 points total (9G-16A) in that span.
Crosby, who leads the Penguins with 89 points (41G-48A) in 79 games, is still producing at an elite rate in his 19th season. The 36-year-old Crosby has one of the highest points-per-game averages in NHL history from a player’s 35th birthday and on.
Rickard Rakell has 15 points (7G-8A) in 18 games played against the Bruins, which includes four multi-point efforts.
Lars Eller has recorded 23 points (16G-7A) in 51 career games against Boston. His 16 goals against them are his most versus any one team.
Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic enters tomorrow’s game with points in each of his last 10 games (7-0-3), which is the longest point streak of his career. Since this stretch began, he’s recorded a 2.81 goals-against average, a .905 save percentage, and no goaltender has more wins than his seven.
Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson scored goals at even strength in Thursday’s win over Detroit. Pittsburgh’s blueliners have been productive this season at even strength, ranking seventh in the NHL. Letang leads all Penguins’ defensemen and is seventh in the NHL among blueliners with 44 even-strength points (10G-34A). Letang and Karlsson have had success against Boston in their careers. The duo ranks second and fourth in points among active defensemen against the Bruins, respectively.
