QUICK HITS
1) Bryan Rust (466) is one point shy of surpassing Jake Guentzel (466) for sole possession of the 11th most points in franchise history.
2) The Penguins are ranked third in the NHL in power-play percentage (29.6%).
3) Pittsburgh is 2-1-1 in their yellow third jerseys.
4) Sidney Crosby’s (449) even-strength goal on Sunday helped him surpass Phil Esposito (448) for sole possession of the ninth-most even-strength goals in NHL history.
5) Bryan Rust has seven points (2G-5A) in his last four games against Toronto. In 22 career games, he has 20 points (6G-14A) versus the Maple Leafs.
FRANCHISE ICON
Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby has points in six of his last nine games (2G-6A) and nine of his last 13 games (7G-7A). Crosby, who had a goal and an assist on Sunday night, surpassed Mario Lemieux’s franchise record of 1,723 points. Crosby now sits in sole possession of eighth place in scoring in NHL history. He is one assist shy of surpassing Adam Oates for the eighth-most assists in NHL history.
Crosby is tied for eighth in the NHL in goals after reaching the 20-goal plateau for the 18th time in his career. Eight of his 20 goals have come on the power play, which is tied for fifth in the NHL.
He is currently riding a six-game point streak against Toronto (2G-7A) and has 76 points (31G-45A) in 58 career games against the Maple Leafs. His six-game point streak is tied for the second-longest active point streak against Toronto.
Crosby has 22 career multi-point games against Toronto, which is his second-highest total against an Atlantic Division opponent (Buffalo – 23). He has been held without a point in just five of 29 games against them at PPG Paints Arena.
SKINNER 200
Goaltender Stuart Skinner is looking to appear in his 200th NHL game on Tuesday in Toronto. Skinner, who was drafted in the third round (78th overall) in the 2017 NHL Draft, is looking to become the 32nd active netminder to appear in 200 games. Skinner has gone 109-64-18 in his first 199 games, and a win today could give him the eighth-most wins among active goaltenders through 200 games.
CLIFTON 400
Defenseman Connor Clifton is one game shy of 400 career regular-season games. Clifton, who was drafted in the fifth round (133rd overall), in the 2013 NHL Draft, is looking to become the 39th member of his draft class to reach 400 games. Clifton has played in parts of eight seasons split between Pittsburgh, the Boston Bruins and the Buffalo Sabres.
Clifton ranks third on Pittsburgh in hits this season despite only appearing in 15 games.
IRONMAN KULAK
Brett Kulak enters this game having played 299-consecutive games which is the ninth-longest active games played streak in the league. Kulak is also one assist shy of reaching 100 career assists. He would be the 21st defenseman and 41st overall player from the 2012 NHL Draft to reach the mark.
POINT PRODUCIN’
Defenseman Erik Karlsson has points in six of his last eight games (2G-6A) and has 11 points (2G-9A) in 11 games in the month of December. Only four defensemen have more points than him this month.
BLUE LINE BLITZ
Two members of the Penguins blue line, Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang, have put up solid numbers against the Maple Leafs in their careers. Karlsson leads all active defensemen with 12 goals, 35 assists and 47 points in 51 games against Toronto, while Letang’s 32 points (5G-27A) in 50 games ranks fourth among active blueliners.
