PITTSBURGH, Penn. – The Tampa Bay Lightning face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday in the second game of a weekend back-to-back. The Bolts are looking to bounce back after a tough overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils and ignite a winning streak.
The Lightning previously clashed with the Penguins on November 19th in Pittsburgh, securing a 3-2 overtime victory. Brayden Point led the charge with two goals, while defenseman Darren Raddysh tallied two assists. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy made 17 saves to secure the win. Â
Historically, the Lightning have a 46-53-9 all-time record against the Penguins, including a 17-31-6 record on the road. However, this season, the Lightning have dominated the Penguins, winning their only matchup so far.
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Player Matchups to Watch
- Nikita Kucherov vs. Sidney Crosby: Kucherov leads active Lightning players in scoring against the Penguins with 35 points in 28 career games. He’ll be facing off against Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who has 47 points in 44 games this season.
- Brayden Point vs. Evgeni Malkin: Point has been a key offensive contributor for the Lightning, with 47 points in 36 games. He’ll be up against Penguins veteran Evgeni Malkin, who has 32 points in 41 games.
- Brandon Hagel vs. Jake Guentzel: Hagel has been a consistent scorer for the Lightning, with 46 points in 40 games. He’ll be matched up against Penguins winger Jake Guentzel, who has 40 points in 39 games.
Several Lightning players are approaching significant milestones:
- Erik Cernak: Needs 2 points to reach 100 career points.
- Victor Hedman: Needs 3 assists to reach 600 career assists, a franchise first.
- Nikita Kucherov: Needs 4 assists to pass Victor Hedman for the most assists in Lightning history and 6 assists to become the first Bolt to record 600 assists.
- Ryan McDonagh: Needs 14 blocked shots to crack the top 10 in NHL history.
- Cam Atkinson: Needs 7 games to reach 800 career games played.
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The Lightning are 4-6-1 in back-to-back games this season. They will need to overcome the fatigue of playing consecutive nights to secure a win against the Penguins.
Backup goaltender Jonas Johansson has been impressive lately, posting a .933 save percentage in his last five starts. He will be looking to continue his strong play against the Penguins.
The Lightning’s run game has been a key factor in their success this season. If they can establish a strong ground attack and continue their solid penalty killing, they will be well-positioned to defeat the Penguins.
The puck drops at 5:00 PM ET at PPG Paints Arena. The game will be televised on FanDuel Sports and broadcast on 102.5 The Bone.
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