Game Preview: 03.04.25 at Colorado Avalanche

The Pittsburgh Penguins head out west to begin a three-game road trip with a matchup against the Colorado Avalanche. Puck drop is set for 9:00 PM Eastern time at Ball Arena.

This game will be available to watch on SportsNet Pittsburgh and ESPN+. Fans can listen to the game on 105.9 the X and on the Penguins app.

Team Records: PIT (24-28-10), COL (35-24-2)

The Penguins have gone 21-14-3 in the last 38 games against the Maple Leafs. Pittsburgh is 5-2-0 in their last seven home games against Toronto dating back to Nov. 16, 2019. The Penguins have points in three of their last 5 home games (2-2-1).

The Penguins have points in 13 of their last 20 games against the Avalanche (11-7-2) dating back to Apr. 6, 2014. Pittsburgh has points in five of their last eight games on the road against Colorado (4-3-1). The Penguins have points in three of their last four visits to Ball Arena (2-1-1).

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Lineup Notes

The Penguins recalled goaltender Tristan Jarry from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, and re-assigned rookie Joel Blomqvist. Jarry, a two-time NHL All Star, had been placed on waivers before clearing and heading down to work on his game. Full story here.

"There are multiple things that went into it," Mike Sullivan said when asked about the transaction. "But part of our job as coaches and a management group is making sure that we're putting young players in the best possible position to be successful. A priority, first and foremost, is the continued growth and development of Joel. There's always that underlying question that we try to answer, is what's the best course of action for him – is it at the NHL level or the American League level? So, that was some of it."

Additionally, defenseman P.O Joseph was placed on injured reserve after sustaining an upper-body injury on Saturday versus Boston. Forward Michael Bunting remains sidelined after undergoing surgery to remove his appendix last week. Alex Nedeljkovic starts in goal versus Colorado.

Game Notes

Sidney Crosby (Cole Harbour, NS) and Nathan MacKinnon (Halifax, NS) grew up just minutes apart in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Tonight’s game will mark the 19th head-to-head matchup between Crosby and MacKinnon, where Crosby’s Penguins have gone 9-8-1 in the first 18 games.

It will also feature two of the top producing defensemen in the league at even strength. Cale Makar’s 37 points and Erik Karlsson’s 33 points rank third and fourth, respectively, among defensemen in even-strength points.

Karlsson has been on an offensive tear as of late. The defenseman has points in nine of his last 11 games, including a season long seven-game point streak from Jan. 29-Feb. 23. Since Jan. 29, Karlsson is first in points among all defensemen.

Head Coach Mike Sullivan is currently one win shy of becoming the 14th head coach in NHL history, and the first American-born head coach, to win 400 games with one franchise.

Bryan Rust will be suiting up for his 620th game as a Pittsburgh Penguin tonight against Colorado, which will surpass Ron Schock for the 10th-most games played in franchise history.

Rust currently ranks ninth in goals (193), 18th in assists (224), and 14th in points (417) in franchise history.

Anthony Beauvillier has been one of the Penguins' top even-strength offensive players this season, with 12 of his 13 goals coming at even strength. His 12 even-strength goals are currently tied for third on the team with Sidney Crosby.

Evgeni Malkin has seven points in six games (3G-4A) since returning from the 4 Nations Break. He is currently three assists shy of tying Henrik Sedin for the 12th-most assists with one franchise in NHL history.

Quick Hits

Bryan Rust has nine points (5G-4A) in his last eight games played against the Avalanche. He has an active six-game point streak (4G-3A) versus them.

Last game, Sidney Crosby (1G-2A) surpassed Bobby Hull (610) for the 18th-most goals in NHL history, and also Gordie Howe (1,049) for the 10th-most assists in NHL history.

Ryan Shea’s 23:48 of time on ice Sunday against Toronto was a single-game career high. This season, Shea has established career highs in goals (2), assists (3), points (5) and blocked shots (38).

The Penguins own an overall record of 400-92-49 when both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin record a point in a game.

Away Game Triggers