Columbus Blue Jackets (32-28-3, fifth in the Metropolitan) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (38-16-9, third in the Metropolitan)
Pittsburgh; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Pittsburgh hosts the Columbus Blue Jackets after Sidney Crosby scored two goals in the Penguins’ 4-1 victory against the Coyotes.
The Penguins are 11-4-2 against the rest of their division. Pittsburgh is second in the Eastern Conference with 34.9 shots per game and is averaging 3.2 goals.
The Blue Jackets are 8-12-0 against the rest of their division. Columbus ranks seventh in the Eastern Conference with 30.0 shots per game and is averaging 3.3 goals.
In their last meeting on Feb. 27, Pittsburgh won 3-2.
TOP PERFORMERS: Crosby leads the Penguins with 61 points, scoring 22 goals and adding 39 assists. Jake Guentzel has 9 points over the last 10 games for Pittsburgh.
Patrik Laine has 48 total points while scoring 25 goals and totaling 23 assists for the Blue Jackets. Oliver Bjorkstrand has five goals over the last 10 games for Columbus.
LAST 10 GAMES: Penguins: 7-2-1, averaging three goals, 5.1 assists, 3.5 penalties and 8.4 penalty minutes while giving up two goals per game with a .935 save percentage.
Blue Jackets: 5-3-2, averaging 3.4 goals, six assists, four penalties and 8.6 penalty minutes while giving up 3.9 goals per game with an .882 save percentage.
INJURIES: Penguins: Zachary Aston-Reese: day to day (illness).
Blue Jackets: Elvis Merzlikins: day to day (back).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be registered Torstar account holder. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free)