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NHL on NBCSN: Penguins look to avoid bad habits vs Devils

Penguins vs Devils

NEWARK, NJ - FEBRUARY 09: Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins defends against Travis Zajac #19 of the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on February 9, 2013 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

NBCSN’s ongoing coverage of the 2013 campaign will continue tonight when the New Jersey Devils host the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Prudential Center at 7:30 p.m. ET. In addition to NBCSN, you can also watch the game online.

The Penguins got Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang back on Tuesday and they assisted on a Jarome Iginla power-play goal. All the same, Pittsburgh suffered a 4-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.

That defeat won’t change the fact that the Pittsburgh Penguins will enter the playoffs with the number one seed, but how they played was a bit troubling.

“I don’t think ... we played our best,” Penguins coach Dan Bylsma told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Especially the first half of the game, the way we managed the puck.

“There were a lot of turnovers, a lot of opportunities for their team to go the other way with speed, and we saw them do that.

“That’s not characteristic of how we want to play, how we want to get into a game.”

Obviously it’s just one game, but the last thing the Penguins want to do right now is develop bad habits going into the playoffs. With that in mind, they’ll be looking to bounce back tonight against the Devils.

Of course, the Penguins would also like to get healthy for the start of the postseason. With that in mind, it must have been particularly frustrating on Tuesday when they lost Brooks Orpik to a lower-body injury.

The good news is that the Pittsburgh Penguins should get Paul Martin back soon.

“He’s continuing to progress,” said Bylsma in a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report. “He returned to full team practice. ... Hopefully, he’ll be able to do that a few more times remaining this week, and it’s a potential he could return to play in one of these games.”

Getting Martin back would be huge, but regardless the Penguins will be looking to play better tonight against a Devils team that wants to finish on a high note before beginning their long offseason.

Probable goaltenders: PIT - Marc-Andre Fleury (22-7-0, 2.35 GAA, .917 SV%) | NJD - Johan Hedberg (5-9-3, 2.73 GAA, .886 SV%)

Top scorers: PIT - Sidney Crosby (15-41-56, 36 GP) | NJD - Patrik Elias (14-20-34, 46 GP)

Notable Injuries:
Pittsburgh - Forwards: James Neal (concussion), Crosby (jaw) Defensemen: Orpik (lower body), Martin (thumb)
New Jersey - Defensemen: Bryce Salvador (wrist)