Game preview: June 12, 2024 at the New York Rangers

QUICK CONCLUSIONS

Philip Tomasino has scored points in three of his four career games against the Rangers (2G-1A).

Anthony Beauvillier has 25 points (13G-12A) in 31 career games against New York. This is the most goals and points he has scored against one team.

Michael Bunting has nine points (5G-4A) in his last 14 games after scoring just one point (1A) in his first 12 games.

Pittsburgh has scored points in nine of 11 games when Blake Lizotte is in the lineup (7-2-2). He scored multiple points in consecutive games (1G-3A) for the second time in his career (2G-2A in two games February 17-18, 2023). With a point tomorrow he could equal his career-long points streak of three games in four sets, most recently from December 16-19, 2021 (2G-1A).

FOUR-PLAY FURY

The Penguins are on a four-game winning streak that began with their 5-4 win over the Vancouver Canucks on November 27th. Pittsburgh’s current winning streak is its longest of the season and its first since April 1-6, 2024 (4-0). 0). The team is seeking its first five-game winning streak since 4-14. November 2023 (5-0-0).

The Stars have taken the lead in this current winning streak, but have spread the wealth throughout the team. Pittsburgh had 11 different scorers and 16 different point scorers during that period.

TOMMA MIA!

Since acquiring forward Philip Tomasino from the Nashville Predators on November 25, the Penguins are undefeated, thanks in large part to the forward’s three points (2G-1A) and two game-winning goals. Tomasino’s active three-game point streak is his longest such streak since November 18-24, 2023, when he posted a four-game point streak (4A).

Since November 29, Tomasino leads Pittsburgh with 12 shots and two game-winning goals, and he is tied for first with two goals and third with three points (2G-1A).

The rook defeats the knight

On Tuesday, rookie Owen Pickering scored his first career NHL goal against Florida goaltender Spencer Knight. In doing so, Pickering became the 11th youngest defenseman in Penguins history and the youngest blueliner since Olli Maatta (19 years, 58 days) on October 19, 2013 to score his first NHL goal (20 years, 311 days).

During the Crosby era (2005 to present), only three defensemen scored their first NHL goal at a younger age than Pickering: Maatta, Kris Letang and Simon Despres.

CROSBY 1,300

Tonight, Sidney Crosby is expected to become the 72nd player in NHL history to play 1,300 regular-season games. Crosby, who is already 10th in NHL history with 1,622 points (600G-1,022A), is expected to have the fourth-most points in the first 1,300 games played in league history. Crosby has scored at least one point in 70.1% of his career games (918/1,299).

He enters the game on a five-game point streak (1G-5A) and has scored points in nine of his last 10 games (2G-8A). Crosby has recorded 1,022 assists in his illustrious career, putting him just one shy of Gordie Howe for the fifth-most assists by a franchise in NHL history. Crosby is also several points behind Steve Yzerman (477) for seventh place on the all-time NHL multi-point games list.

DYNAMIC DUO

Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang combined to score 305 goals in their careers. They are just one goal behind Boston’s Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr, who combined for the second-most goals by a forward-defensemen duo in NHL history.

We trust in rust

Winger Bryan Rust enters this game one point behind to pass Mark Recchi and move into 16th place on the franchise’s all-time points list.

Ten (6G-4A) of Rust’s 13 points this season came at home. His home average of 0.91 points per game is second in Pittsburgh.

NEW YORK MENTAL STATE

Sidney Crosby has had success against the New York Rangers in the past. In 86 career games against the Rangers, Crosby has 40 goals, 68 assists and 108 points. Crosby’s points per game average (1.26) against the Rangers is 10th in NHL history (min. 25 GP), and no active player has more points against New York than him.