Kuemper made 26 saves as the Coyotes ended the San Jose Sharks' seven-game winning streak with a 6-3 win Wednesday. Kuemper has a 1.97 goals-against average during his winning streak. Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist could return after missing the past three games with a concussion. Hornqvist practiced Thursday and his status is likely to be a game-time decision.
Players to watch
Penguins forward Sidney Crosby has 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in 17 games against the Coyotes, including a goal and an assist in the Penguins' 4-0 win Nov. 10 at PPG Paints Arena. Coyotes forward Alex Galchenyuk has seven points (two goals, five assists) in his past five games.
They said it
"Last game I tried to beat two guys 1-on-1. It doesn't work right now. You need to be simple. Maybe chip the puck into the offensive zone and play simple. Score a couple goals and the confidence is back." -- Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin "(Sidney) Crosby's line dominated (Nov. 10) and we didn't have an answer for him. He's Sid, so we're going to have to have a pack mentality against them. They don't lose very often and they lost their last game so I'm sure they're not too happy." -- Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet
Blandisi is expected to make his Penguins debut after being acquired in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks for forward Derek Grant on Thursday. … Schultz skated in a non-contact jersey during practice Thursday. Aston-Reese skated before practice.
Stat pack
Letang has 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in his past 11 games and is one goal from tying Paul Coffey (108) for the most by a Penguins defenseman. … Ekman-Larsson has 108 goals, tied with Teppo Numminen for most by a defenseman in Coyotes/Winnipeg Jets history.
