QUICK HITS
1) Pittsburgh has won four-straight road games and are 7-1-0 in their last eight road games.
2) The Penguins have a league-best plus-15 goal differential since January 19.
3) Erik Karlsson has 26 points (7G-19A) in 40 career games against the Islanders. He ranks third among all active defensemen in points (26) against the Islanders.
4) The Penguins have killed off 33 of their last 35 penalties over the past eight games (94.3%).
5) Rickard Rakell has 22 points (10G-12A) in 27 career games against the New York Islanders. He has points in his last five visits to Long Island (5G-4A) and 13 points (7G-6A) across the 12 games he’s played there in total.
ON A ROLL
The Penguins continued their dominant play since returning from the holiday break on December 25 having picked up points in 15 of their 18 games with a 13-3-2 record. They rank near the top of the league in multiple statistical categories.
ROAD DAWGS
The Penguins have been a force on the road this season. They have a 15-7-4 record in 26 games on the road. Their win total ranks tied for eighth in the League, while their point percentage (.654) is even higher.
SCORING SID-SASTION
Sidney Crosby comes into tonight’s game three goals shy of reaching the 30-goal mark for the 14th time in his career and the fifth-consecutive season. Only six players in NHL history have more 30-goal seasons than him currently and only Alex Ovechkin has more among active players (19).
CROSBY VERSUS NYI
Throughout his career, Sidney Crosby has played dominant hockey against the New York Islanders. In 91 career games, Crosby has recorded 139 points (44G-95A) against the Islanders, helping Pittsburgh to a 53-25-13 record in those games. He has almost double the amount of multi-point games against them (41) as opposed to games with no points (23). Only Jaromir Jagr (155) has more points against the Islanders in NHL history than Crosby’s 139. Crosby’s 139 points versus the Islanders are also the most that any active player has against one single team.
SCORING SENSATION
Egor Chinakhov has made his presence felt early on in his time in Pittsburgh. He has 10 points (7G-3A) in 16 games, helping the Penguins go 11-3-2 with him in the lineup. Since he made his Penguins debut on January 1, no one has more goals than him.
THE MAN-THA
Anthony Mantha has been on a heater during the Penguins last seven games. On Saturday, he scored two goals and recorded his fourth multi-point game in the last seven games. In that time, no one on Pittsburgh has more goals or points than Mantha.
