* Winger Bryan Rust has been a staple of consistency in Pittsburgh’s lineup, registering another two assists last night against New York. It marked his ninth multi-point outing of the season, and only Sidney Crosby (14) and Rickard Rakell (11) have more multi-point efforts on the season on Pittsburgh.
Rust’s two assists last night give him 13 points (5G-8A) over his last 13 games, and he ranks second on the Penguins in scoring during this span.
* Team Sweden restored normalcy when they announced on Tuesday that forward Rickard Rakell has been added to the roster for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off. Rakell has been on a tear this season with 47 points (25G-22A) through 55 games, and his team-leading 25 goals rank second in the NHL among Swedish players.
Rakell has notched 10 goals and 16 points (10G-6A) in 17 career games against the Flyers. He has goals in five-consecutive games versus them (6G-3A), which is the longest active goal streak versus Philadelphia in the league.
* Yesterday, the Penguins recalled forward Emil Bemstrom from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Bemstrom, who is in his sixth season in North America, was acquired last year from the Columbus Blue Jackets in a deal with Alex Nylander and a 2026 sixth-round round pick. In his first full season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Bemstrom ranks first on the team with 19 goals and 41 points (19G-22A) in 37 games. His 41 points rank fourth in the entire AHL.
Bemstrom’s play this year has awarded him with his first AHL All-Star Challenge appearance hosted in Palm Springs, California alongside teammate Owen Pickering, who both represented the Atlantic Division. He was originally selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the fourth round (117th overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft. In 229 NHL games, he has posted 34 goals, 40 assists and 74 points.
* Sidney Crosby is heating up with four goals in his last five games. With his next tally, he will tie Bobby Hull for 18th place on the all-time goals list. The captain also has assists in three-straight games (3A) that he’s dressed in, and his 1,045 total career assists are four shy of tying Gordie Howe for 10th place on the all-time assists list.
Crosby has done some of his best work against the Philadelphia Flyers throughout his career. In 88 career games, Crosby has 56 goals, 77 assists and 133 points. His 56 goals and his 133 points are the most in NHL history versus Philadelphia. Crosby enters tonight’s game with points in 17 of his last 19 games versus Philadelphia (14G-17A). Going back further, Crosby has 49 points (20G-29A) in his last 29 games against them, which includes points in 25 of those 29 games.
Quick Hits
1) Tonight, the Penguins conclude their 11th set of back-to-back games. Thus far, the team is 9-12-0 in back-to-backs (3-8-0 on the first night and 6-4-0 on the second night).
2) Since entering the league in 2006-07, no defenseman has more points against the Flyers than Kris Letang (52). He has points in eight of his last 13 games (4G8A) against Philadelphia. His plus-35 versus the Flyers is second in NHL history behind Bobby Orr (+37).
3) Over the last five games dating back to January 27, the Penguins have allowed a league-low eight goals against.
4) The Penguins rank sixth in the NHL in power-play percentage (25.2%).
5) Bryan Rust has 25 points (11G-14A) in 33 career games against Philadelphia, which includes an active six-game point streak against them (4G-6A).
