Tonight on NBCSN, it’s the Pittsburgh Penguins hosting the Minnesota Wild at 7 p.m. ET. Following are some game notes, as compiled by the NHL on NBC research team:
TOP STORYLINES
• Matchup between one team in need of a win (MIN) and another team looking to keep pace in their conference (PIT) and potentially overtake their division leader (NYI).
• MIN fading: Since Dec. 16, MIN has lost 11 of its last 13 (2-7-4) and is 0-4-1 in its last 5.
• During this 13-game stretch, MIN has lost all 4 games that have reached OT (and lost them all in OT).
• MIN: Outscored by 2.80 goals/game in last 5 games – tied (with BUF) for worst margin in the NHL among any team’s last 5 games. (Elias)
• The Wild’s rough patch can be attributed to the quality of opponents they have faced including league-leading NSH and CHI (twice) – a team only 2 points back of the Preds – in their last 3 games.
• The road ahead looks a bit less formidable with upcoming matchups against BUF, AZ & CBJ before the All-Star break.
• This is the worst 13-game stretch (8 points) for MIN since: Dec. 6-Jan. 2 last season (8 points: 4-9-0)
• MIN last lost 11 of 13 games: Dec. 20-Jan. 19, 2012 (2-9-2)
• This is the worst 5-game stretch (1 point) for MIN since: Dec. 19-Dec. 31 last season (0-6-0)
• Mike Yeo, rumored to be on the coaching hot seat, received this vote of confidence from MIN GM Chuck Fletcher on Thursday, “Not even factored into the equation – he‟s our coach. We do not have a coaching issue.”
• Yeo served as an Assistant Coach for the Penguins (2005-10) after being an assistant on their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton from 2000-05.
• The funeral for J.P. Parise, former NHLer and father of MIN F Zach Parise, who died of lung cancer last Wednesday at the age of 73, will be Friday – an off day for the Wild – in Edina, MN.
• Zach missed 2 games last week to be with his family and returned to play in the Wild‟s last two games.
• PIT slumping: 3 wins in last 9 games (3-4-2) after 22-6-4 start – this is their worst stretch all season.
• With a loss, PIT will have lost 7 of 10 games for the first time since Feb. 20-Mar. 12, 2011 (3-3-4).
• PIT lost 2 straight at home (first time this season) after starting season 15-5-1 at CONSOL.
• MIN lost 3 straight on the road – tonight is 2nd of 3-gm road trip & stretch of 7 road games in next 9 games.
• Before the first head-to-head meeting this season (4-1 PIT win at MIN on Nov. 4):
• MIN was 7-3-0 (14 points)…since they are 11-15-5 (27 points)
• PIT was 7-2-1 (15 points)…since they are 18-8-5 (41 points)
WILD TEAM/PLAYER NOTES
• Zach Parise is t-2nd on the team in goals (14 – with Nino Niederreiter; 1 behind Jason Zucker) and 2nd in points (30). Parise is the only player on the Wild with double figures in goals and assists (16).
• Parise: 0 points, -2 rating since returning to team on Saturday (missed 2 games – father’s death)
• Parise career vs. PIT: 37 points (15G-22A) in 46 GP.
• Jason Pominville leads the team in points (32) and assists (23).
• Pominville: led team in goals (30) & points (60) last season.
• Pominville career vs. PIT: 23 points (10G-13A) in 32 GP.
• Ryan Suter leads the league in time on ice/game (29:35) after leading the league in this category the past two seasons…Suter is the lone representative from MIN to be selected to this season’s All-Star Game.
• Suter: 4th on team in points (22).
• Suter: 2nd on team in assists (21 – t-10th among d-men).
• Suter has gone without a point in his last 9 games and scored his only goal in MIN‟s season opener against COL on Oct. 9.
• Nino Niederreiter is tied for 2nd on the team in goals (14) but has gone the last 12 games without one.
• Niederreiter this season – first 29 games: 14G-3A, last 12 games: 0G-3A
• Niklas Backstrom is expected to make his 4th straight start in net: 0-4-2, 3.71 GAA, .878 SV% in last 7 games (5 starts).
PENGUINS TEAM/PLAYER NOTES
• Evgeni Malkin: leads team in goals (19 – t-8th in NHL) & points (47 – t-4th in NHL).
• Malkin: 1 goal, 1 assist in consecutive games.
• Malkin is one of just 3 Pens to have played in all 41 games this season (Nick Spaling, Rob Scuderi).
• Malkin & Sidney Crosby were the PIT selections to this season’s All-Star Game.
• Malkin (47 points) & Crosby (44) are the 2nd-highest scoring duo in the NHL this season behind Jakub Voracek (52) & Claude Giroux (48) of the Flyers.
• Sidney Crosby leads team in assists (32 – t-3rd in NHL); 2nd in points (44 – t-8th in NHL).
• Crosby: scored in last game (1G-5A in last 4 games).
• Crosby career vs. MIN: 10 points (3G-7A) in 8 GP
• Marc-Andre Fleury 2 wins in his last 8 starts (2-3-2, 2.80 GAA, .904 SV%)…but is still having a strong first half of the season:
• 6 shutouts through 33 games lead the NHL – already his career-best for a season.
• 2.16 GAA and .926 SV% this season would be his best season averages in his 11-season career (current bests: 2.32 GAA in 2010-11, .921 SV% in 2007-08).
• Career vs. MIN: 0-5-0, 3.76 GAA, .853 SV%
• Minnesota is the only team (other than Pittsburgh) that Fleury has not defeated in his career.