PENGUINS (37-18-6) at KINGS (22-35-6) 10:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN
Marleau, who was acquired from the San Jose Sharks for a conditional pick in the 2021 NHL Draft on Monday, has 1,186 points (561 goals, 625 assists) in 1,715 games, fifth-most in League history. Sheary and Rodrigues were acquired from the Buffalo Sabres for forward Dominik Kahun on Monday. Sheary played three seasons for the Penguins and was part of Stanley Cup championship teams in 2016 and 2017. The Penguins, who are four points behind the Washington Capitals for first place in the Metropolitan Division, have lost three straight games (0-3-0). The Kings are 1-2-1 in their past four games. Los Angeles is last in the Western Conference.
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Players to watch
Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin will play in his 900th NHL game. He has four points (three goals, one assist) in his past two games. Kings forward Adrian Kempe needs one point for 100 in the NHL. He has five assists in his past six games.
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They said it
"I'm looking forward to playoffs and all of that. It's great to be part of the team. It's obviously a great team and a great opportunity for myself." -- Penguins forward Patrick Marleau "It's going to be pretty cool, and obviously I grew up watching [Sidney Crosby] and Malkin, but we're playing against them so you can only watch so much." -- Kings center Gabriel Vilardi on playing against Penguins forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin for the first time in the NHL
Dumoulin and Marino practiced the past two days. It's Dumoulin's first practices having tendons in his left ankle lacerated during a game against the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 30. It's Marino's first practices since being hit in the face with a puck during a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Feb. 6. … Lafferty was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on an emergency basis Monday and is expected to play after McCann did not practice Tuesday. … Carter, a forward, did not participate in an optional practice Wednesday and could miss his fourth straight game.
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Stat pack
With Marleau, Crosby (1,257) and Malkin (1,064), the Penguins are the first team with three 1,000-point scorers on an NHL roster since the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 3, 2004 (Ron Francis, Joe Nieuwendyk, Mats Sundin). … Murray is 2-0-1 with a 1.62 goals-against average and .952 save percentage in three games against the Kings. … Los Angeles is 0-22-1 when trailing after the first period.
