The Penguins are ice-cold. The Flyers are red-hot. The two teams meet tonight in Philadelphia, with Pittsburgh having dropped four straight games and Philadelphia sporting a 9-0-1 record in the last ten games.
The Penguins lead over Carolina in the Metro Division has narrowed to a single point after Saturday’s loss to Tampa Bay. They’ve fallen nine points behind the Metro Division leading Islanders, but still trail the Capitals by only four, and they are two games in back of the Blue Jackets.
With Evgeni Malkin out of the lineup, the Penguins’ power play is just 1-for-19 in the last eight games. Malkin, defenseman Justin Schultz, goaltender Matt Murray, and forward Zach Aston-Reese have been missing from the Pens’ lineup. Schultz and Murray are practicing with no restrictions and could return anytime. Murray was the backup to Casey DeSmith in Saturday’s loss to Tampa Bay. Schultz has been out since October with a broken leg and appears ready. Aston-Reese has been out since January 8th after injuring his hand in a fight. Malkin and Aston-Reese are practicing in no-hit red jerseys.
Faceoff for tonight’s game against the Flyers is scheduled for just after 7 PM. The airtime on 92.5 FM U92 and the U92 Sportschannel is 6 o’clock
