How quickly the winds can shift. Not even a week ago, the Penguins were one of the hottest teams in the NHL, riding a five-game winning streak. Now they have lost their last two games against conference rivals in matchups that could prove to be crucial when shaping the NHL playoff picture this coming spring.
On Saturday (Nov. 18) night, the Penguins visited the Carolina Hurricanes. In a meeting of two teams looking for leverage over the field as we near the season’s quarter mark, the Hurricanes came away the victors by a score of 4-2. At 8-8-0, the Penguins find themselves frustrated and facing the reigning Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights tonight (Nov. 19) at home.
Though the Golden Knights have cooled after their blistering start to the season, they enter tonight with a 13-3-2 record, confident and still playing well, in spite of losing a Saturday matinee game to the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 in overtime. The story of that game may be the Flyers winning their third-straight game against a Stanley Cup contender – the Los Angeles Kings, Hurricanes, and Golden Knights – but the Penguins could use some of that magic tonight in an important matchup.
Setting the Stage: Lineups, Injuries & Stats
A week after getting called up from the minors, Vinnie Hinostroza now finds himself with a lower-body injury. He played against the Devils but was a scratch against the Hurricanes, trading spots with Jeff Carter. Carter also is listed with a lower-body injury and could play against the Golden Knights.
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The Penguins placed Pierre-Olivier Joseph on injured reserve and recently recalled Jansen Harkins from Wilkes-Barre of the American Hockey League (AHL).
For the Golden Knights, Chandler Stephenson had been out with an upper-body injury but did play the Flyers on Saturday. It was his first game back since Nov. 5 at the Anaheim Ducks.
Injuries
- Penguins: Will Butcher (undisclosed, the Penguins placed Butcher on injured reserve), Jeff Carter (lower body), Vinnie Hinostroza (lower body), Pierre-Olivier Joseph (undisclosed, the Penguins placed Joseph on injured reserve), Mark Pysyk (lower body, the Penguins placed Pysyk on injured reserve)
- Golden Knights: Nicolas Hague (Hague has a lower-body injury and is likely out through this weekend’s (Nov. 4-5) games)
Interesting Stats and Facts
- Despite Saturday’s loss, Sidney Crosby kept his points streak going. Crosby scored both Penguins goals, bringing his points streak to 11 games, with nine goals and 17 points. The Penguins captain now has 12 goals and 22 points through 16 games.
- Jake Guentzel and Erik Karlsson each picked up assists against the Hurricanes. Guentzel now has four goals and 11 points in his seven-game streak, with 14 assists and 20 points through 16 games on the season. Karlsson now has four goals and 13 points in eight games, with a plus-11 rating in that run. On the year, he has 17 points in 16 games.
- Bryan Rust continues to be a feel-good story for the Penguins. He picked up an assist and now has two goals and four points in a three-game point streak. He has nine goals and 16 points in 16 games. Last season, he needed 26 games to collect 16 points and 33 games to score nine goals.
- For the Golden Knights, William Karlsson appears to be turning in his best season since the team’s inaugural in 2017-18, when he scored a career-high 43 goals. He picked up a goal in the loss to the Flyers and now has nine goals and 20 points through 18 games. His consistency has been key, as he has points in 14 of 18 games.
- Jack Eichel has enjoyed being a Golden Knight. After hoisting the Stanley Cup last season, the former Buffalo Sabre is rolling with seven goals and 19 points in 18 games. He picked up an assist Saturday and has points in 13 out of 18 games.
- Tristan Jarry looks to be in one of his downturns at the moment. He surrendered only three goals on 29 shots, a .909 save percentage (SV%), but he wasn’t the wall the Penguins needed as their depth scoring has dried up again. On the year, he has a 6-7-0 record with a 2.59 goals against average (GAA) and a .910 SV% with three shutouts. Against the Golden Knights, he has been a successful 4-1-0 record, a 2.42 GAA, and a .925 SV%, but as of yesterday afternoon, it was unclear if he or Magnus Hellberg would start tonight.
When asked if the Penguins will go with Magnus Hellberg tomorrow versus Vegas, Mike Sullivan replied, "we're focused on Carolina today." https://t.co/bNtfxzUYAb
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) November 18, 2023
- For the Golden Knights, they haven’t needed to worry about goaltending this season. Adin Hill has gone 8-1-1 with a 2.07 GAA, .928 SV%, and two shutouts, while Logan Thompson is 5-2-1 with a 2.48 GAA and .920 SV%. Hill likely gets the nod after Thompson getting the loss against the Flyers.
Penguins vs. Golden Knights Storylines
While the Crosby line remains hot, scoring from the rest of the lineup has gone into hiding again. This is not a problem just with the third and fourth lines but Evgeni Malkin’s line, as well. Malkin has now been quiet in back-to-back games for the first time this season, and Reilly Smith has gone pointless in three straight.
While the Penguins struggle to squeeze offense from outside their top line, the Golden Knights remain deadly. They are second in the NHL with 64 goals scored and are seeing consistent contributions from Shea Theodore, Mark Stone, and Jonathan Marchessault.
This is the first of two meetings between the two teams, with their next game in January. After tonight, the Golden Knights will visit the Dallas Stars on Wednesday (Nov. 22), and the Penguins will host the New York Rangers on Wednesday. Puck drops tonight at 6:00 PM EST.