Game Preview: Penguins vs. Canucks (01.11.24)

After a successful trip to Philadelphia, the Penguins return home to square off against the Canucks at 7:00 PM.

Doors open at 6:00 PM.

The game will be available to watch on SportsNet Pittsburgh locally, ESPN+ nationally, and on the radio in the Penguins app and 105.9 the X.

The Penguins will wear their third jerseys (diagonal Pittsburgh).

Tonight's game is Hockey Talks Mental Health Awareness Night.

Team Records: PIT (20-15-4) VAN (27-11-3)

The Canucks are just shy of leading the league in points, with 57. Quinn Hughes leads the league's defensemen with 40 assists and 51 points (entering Jan. 10). Hughes is second among defensemen in terms of goals, with 11. J.T. Miller leads the team in points, with 19G-36A--55 Pts. Vancouver is 4-1-0 in their last five games played, with the most recent being a 5-2 victory over the New York Islanders.

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Hockey Talks Night

Tonight, the Penguins hope to raise awareness and help end the stigma surrounding mental health.

Hockey Talks is a program that was inspired by Rick Rypien, former Vancouver Canucks forward. Today, clubs across the NHL participate, sharing resources, stories, and breaking the stigma that so often surrounds mental health.

An auction of player jerseys, including player cards signed and inscribed by the players, will be available here from January 11 at 6:00 PM through January 19 at 12:00 PM. Proceeds benefit the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation's mental health initiatives.

Fans can fill out their own “Hockey Talks” signs behind section 104. Warmup pucks can be purchased here as well. Proceeds benefit the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation's mental health initiatives.

Penguins alumnus Ryan Malone will be on the broadcast, and the Penguins will be selling Malone Family Foundation merchandise in the building at PensGear. Proceeds from those sales benefit the Malone Family Foundation.

Mental Health Fast Facts

• 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year.
• 1 in 20 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year.
• 1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year
• Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-14.
• 12.5% of adults age 18 and older report experiencing feelings of worry, nervousness, or anxiety. (CDC)

Local Mental Health Resources

• Depression affects women about twice as often as men. One in five women will face clinical depression in their lifetime. In partnership with UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital offers Magee Womens Behavioral Health Services. These programs and services are tailored to the specific mental health needs of women of all ages, like the New and Expectant Mothers Specialized Treatment (NEST) program, which provides a range of behavioral health services to new and soon-to-be mothers to help with mental health concerns around childbearing and motherhood.
• Mental health emergencies can happen suddenly and immediate treatment might be needed. UPMC Western Psychiatric Emergency Services operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and manages more than 11,500 patients annually. Each emergency patient meets a team of specialty-trained physicians, nurses, and clinicians who can provide evaluations for psychiatric or substance abuse conditions, crisis therapy, admissions, and referrals to specific programs and treatments.
• In collaboration with UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh’s Behavioral Health Walk-in Clinic provides a comfortable environment and same-day care to children and adolescents who are experiencing mental health concerns. Along with a parent or guardian, children and teens can walk in with no appointment and receive therapeutic intervention and connections to pediatric behavioral health services.

Game Notes

Sidney Crosby has 20 points (10G-10A) in 21 career games against the Canucks, including points in nine of his last 12 games versus them (6G-7A).

Alex Nedeljkovic has allowed two goals total in two career starts against the Canucks, going 2-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average, a .971 save percentage and one shutout.

Drew O’Connor has five points (2G-3A) over his last six games. Since this stretch began on Dec. 30, no Penguin has more even-strength points (5) or a better plus-minus than him (+6).

Pittsburgh’s power play has notched 12 goals over the last 13 games, and is operating at 21.8% (12/55) in that span.

Ryan Graves has been plus or even in eight of his last nine games (+5) dating back to Dec. 21, and has points in two of his last three games (2A).

Erik Karlsson enters tonight’s game riding a four-game point streak (1G-4A) after his goal on Monday in Philadelphia. Karlsson leads all Pittsburgh blueliners with 28 points (7G-21A) and is two points shy of the 30-point plateau. Despite only playing 39 games this season, Karlsson is already looking to become just the ninth Penguins defenseman since the 2004.05 lockout to notch 30 or more points in a season.

Jake Guentzel has consistently produced throughout his career against the Vancouver Canucks. In 11 games, Guentzel has recorded 12 goals, seven assists and 19 points. Prior to his last game against them (Jan. 10, 2023), he had never been held off the scoresheet versus them.

Guentzel’s 1.73 points-per-game average versus Vancouver is sixth-highest in NHL history, and his 1.09 goals-pergame average against the Canucks is the best in NHL history (min. 5 GP).

Reilly Smith has 21 points (9G-12A) in 24 career games versus Vancouver, which includes an active nine-game point streak against them (5G-7A).

Pittsburgh has been one of the NHL’s most defensively conscious teams this season. The team’s .912 save percentage is fourth-best in the NHL, and their 2.69 goals-against per game is fifth in the league.

Evgeni Malkin’s two-point (1G-1A) night at Philadelphia on Monday was his ninth multi-point game of his 2023.24 campaign. His nine multi-point efforts tie him for second on Pittsburgh’s roster with Sidney Crosby. The duo’s nine multi-point games trail only Jake Guentzel’s 10 contests this season.

Rickard Rakell enters tonight’s game riding a four-game point streak (3G-2A), and has points in eight of his last nine games overall (5G-5A). Overall, Rakell has notched 10 (5G-5A) of his 14 points (5G-9A) this season in the 10 games since he’s returned from injury.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goaltender Joel Blomqvist has been named as WBS’ representative for the AHL All-Star game. This season, the 22-year-old netminder has appeared in 19 games, posting an 11-4-2 record with a 2.16 GAA and a .920 save percentage. Blomqvist currently has the third-lowest goals-against average in the AHL this season at 2.16.

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