Penguins at Flyers preview

PENGUINS (31-13-5) at FLYERS (26-17-6)
7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, ATTSN-PT, NHL.TV

Crosby has eight points (three goals, five assists) in four games after missing 28 straight because of a lower-body injury. He has nine points (two goals, seven assists) during a four-game point streak in Philadelphia, and his 102 points (42 goals, 60 assists) in 68 games are more than any NHL player has had against the Flyers since the start of the 2005-06 season.
The Penguins have won 14 of their past 18 games (14-3-1). Goalie Tristan Jarry will start for Pittsburgh.
Philadelphia has won three of its past four games (3-1-0). Goalie Brian Elliott is expected to start for the Flyers.

Players to watch

Penguins forward Bryan Rust has 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in his past 13 games.
Flyers center Sean Couturier has 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in his past nine games.

They said it

"I'm excited about it. I've played a few times here when I [played for the Montreal Canadiens] and it was always loud with the Philly fans. Excited to see what it's going to be like with the [Penguins-Flyers] rivalry." -- Penguins forward Alex Galchenyuk
"We said coming in here we're going to get into the [Stanley Cup] Playoffs and we're going to have an opportunity to play for the Stanley Cup. We're right where we want to be. It's going to be tough, it's going to be fun. It's going to be an opportunity for our leadership group and our young players that are all getting better to go out and prove we're a good team." -- Flyers coach Alain Vigneault

Penguins projected lineup

Dominik Simon -- Sidney Crosby -- Patric Hornqvist
Jared McCann -- Evgeni Malkin -- Bryan Rust
Zach Aston-Reese -- Teddy Blueger -- Brandon Tanev
Alex Galchenyuk -- Andrew Agozzino -- Sam Lafferty
Jack Johnson -- Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson -- John Marino
Juuso Riikola -- Chad Ruhwedel
Tristan Jarry
Matt Murray
Scratched: Kevin Czuczman, Joseph Blandisi
Injured: Nick Bjugstad (core muscle surgery), Brian Dumoulin (ankle surgery), Justin Schultz (lower body), Jake Guentzel (shoulder surgery), Dominik Kahun (concussion)

Flyers projected lineup

James van Riemsdyk -- Claude Giroux -- Travis Konecny
Joel Farabee -- Sean Couturier -- Jakub Voracek
Scott Laughton -- Kevin Hayes -- Nicolas Aube-Kubel
German Rubtsov -- Connor Bunnaman -- Tyler Pitlick
Ivan Provorov -- Matt Niskanen
Travis Sanheim -- Philippe Myers
Robert Hagg -- Justin Braun
Brian Elliott
Alex Lyon
Scratched: None
Injured: Michael Raffl (upper body), Nolan Patrick (migraine disorder), Oskar Lindblom (Ewing's sarcoma), Carter Hart (abdominal strain), Shayne Gostisbehere (knee)

Status report

Schultz practiced Monday but will miss his 16th straight game . Coach Mike Sullivan said the defenseman could play Jan. 31 when the Penguins return from their NHL-mandated five-day break. Bjugstad, out since Nov. 15, skated with Schultz in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, and Sullivan said he hopes the forward could return soon after the break. ... Kahun is out indefinitely because of a concussion the forward sustained against the Boston Bruins on Sunday. Blandisi, a forward, was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Monday. ... Raffl won't play after practicing Monday. The forward is considered day to day after being injured on a hit during the second period against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. Farabee will move from the fourth line into Raffl's spot, and Rubtsov, recalled from Lehigh Valley of the AHL on Monday, will play on the fourth line.

Stat pack

Malkin has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in his past seven games. ... Giroux has 50 points (16 goals, 34 assists) in 49 games against the Penguins, his second-highest total against any team (54 points, New York Islanders).