The Pittsburgh Penguins will try to build on last night’s 5-2 win in Anaheim when they travel across town to take on the Los Angeles Kings at 10:00 p.m.
TONIGHT’S OPPONENT: One night after playing the top team in the National Hockey League, the Penguins will now face the defending Stanley Cup Champions. The Kings, despite their recent success, are in a dogfight for a playoff spot in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. The Kings currently sit two points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the final wild card spot.
This is the second and final meeting this season between the Penguins and Kings. The Pens shut out Los Angeles at Consol Energy Center 3-0 in October.
The Kings will be without defenseman Alec Martinez (concussion symptoms) and forward Tanner Pearson (broken leg).
CALIFORNIA DREAMING: The Penguins have several California connections, most notably forward Beau Bennett, who is from Gardena, California, which is just 20 minutes from the Staples Center. This will be Bennett’s first appearance against the squad that he cheered for growing up.
Penguins head coach Mike Johnston also enjoyed a stay in Los Angeles earlier in his career. He was an associate head coach for the Kings from 2006 to 2008.
THE 4077: Defenseman Christian Ehrhoff has now missed three straight games and 15 of the last 16 games with concussion-like symptoms.
The Penguins have gone 10-5-1 without their #3 defenseman, relying mostly on the improved play of rookie Derrick Pouliot. The young blueliner has points in two of his last three games and has seen his average ice time tick over 17:00 for the first time this season.
SCOREBOARD WATCHING: The first-place New York Islanders are at Florida tonight, and the fourth-place Washington Capitals host the Buffalo Sabres. Both games are at 7:00 p.m.
#CAWLIDGEHAWKEY: Robert Morris (27-5-7, AHC #1 seed) got one step closer to finding the identity of their second-round playoff opponent on Friday night. 11th-seeded Niagara upset 6th seed Holy Cross 2-1. If the Purple Eagles can win another game against the Crusaders, they will face the Colonials in the second round. Robert Morris will host the lowest-seeded first round winner in a three-game series starting next Friday at 84 Lumber Arena.
Penn State (17-12-4, 4th in Big Ten) kept their hopes for a first-round bye in the Big Ten tournament alive with a 6-4 win over top-ranked Michigan. The Nittany Lions will play on home ice for the final time this season this afternoon and will try to win the season series over the Wolverines. Faceoff at Pegula Ice Arena is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
PROSPECT WATCH: Several of the Penguins’ NCAA prospects have already begun postseason play.
In Hockey East, defenseman Ryan Segalla (4th Rd – 2013) and the Connecticut Huskies lost 5-2 to New Hampshire on Friday in the first game of their three-game series. Forward Blaine Byron (6th Rd – 2013) and the Maine Black Bears also face elimination tonight after falling 4-2 to Vermont Friday night.
In the ECAC, sophomore defenseman Jeff Taylor (7th Rd – 2014) and the Union Dutchmen defeated Cornell 4-2 on Friday. Forward Sam Lafferty (4th Rd – 2014) and the Brown Bears lost 6-2 at Harvard, and Clarkson, with forward Troy Josephs (7th Rd – 2013), lost 3-2 at Rensselear.
