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The Pittsburgh Penguins are set to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 6 PM faceoff but it will have the feel of a home game. Penguins fans usually show up in mass numbers at Nationwide Arena and today’s game should be no different. The fans in black and gold are so noticeable that members of the Blue Jackets organization have taken notice.
Here is Head Coach Todd Richards on the amount of visiting fans in the building:
“I take it personally, that we have to do a better job at getting more of our people in the building.…
Former Penguins Mark Letestu had this to say:
“The franchise has had some tough stretches. It’s going to take some work, some winning to get them back, and maybe a playoff run to get some people back into it, and it’s going to take a few of those to change the color of jerseys in the crowd on nights like this…
Both quotes are courtesy of the excellent Blue Jackets beat writer Aaron Portzline (@aportzline).
New Years day is right around the corner and that means that Team USA will be announcing their final selections for the team at the Winter Classic. Is Dan Bylsma still mulling over the choices, it doesn’t sound like it:
Bylsma said Team USA roster is pretty well set. Announcement is Wednesday.
— Shelly Anderson (@pgshelly) December 29, 2013Line Combos
Projected lineup for the Penguins:
Kunitz-Crosby-Vitale Conner-Jokinen-Neal Zolnierczyk-Sutter-Kobasew Glass-Sill-Adams
Orpik-Engelland Niskanen-Maatta Bortuzzo-Despres
Scuderi-Dumoulin
Jeff Zatkoff will start in goal
#Penguins Scuderi: "I just talked to the coaches about it. I said I’m ready to play. I’m a player, they’re a coach, so it’s their decision."
— Shelly Anderson (@pgshelly) December 29, 2013Projected lineup for the Blue Jackets:
Foligno-Johansen-Umberger Anisimov-Dubinsky-Atkinson Comeau-MacKenzie-Skille Jenner-Letestu-Tropp
Johnson-Tyutin Wisniewski-Murray Nikitin-Savard
Injuries
The Columbus Blue Jackets are missing some of their more important players for this contest. Not playing will be Sergei Bobrovsky, Marian Gaborik, and Nathan Horton. Both Bobrovsky and Horton are slated for returns in early January while Gaborik will be out until late February. The chances are fairly high that the Blue Jackets will attempt to move Gaborik at this trade deadline.
The Penguins will remain without the services of Evgeni Malkin. Malkin is skating at practice with the team but has not been cleared for contact. He needs to be cleared for contact and then he can eligible for game action. If he gets cleared for contact today and is able to practice in full with the team tomorrow he could return for Tuesday’s game against New Jersey.
Rob Scuderi is extremely close to returning to game action. Tonight could be his first game back after breaking his ankle. Update will be provided after the morning skate.
Tanner Glass and Brooks Orpik have both returned to the Penguins lineup.
Kris Letang is skating on his own back in Pittsburgh. He no longer has a wrap limiting his movement on his elbow. Letang had surgery to clean up an infection in his elbow region.
Power Play
The Pittsburgh Penguins have slipped to third overall in the power play rankings. Washington (25.9%) and Chicago (24.8%) are now ahead of the Penguins (24.6%).
The Columbus Blue Jackets power play is ranked 18th at 17.5%
Penalty Kill
The Penguins 2nd overall in the NHL on the PK with 87.4%
The Blue Jackets tied for 13th overall with 82.2%.
The Penguins are tied for 3rd best in the league with only being shorthanded 119 times
The Blue Jackets are tied for 18th overall with 129 times shorthanded.
Fenclose%
The Penguins are 5th overall at 53.6%
The Blue Jackets are 24th overall at 47.7%
Even Strength Save %
The Penguins are tied for 19th overall with an EVSV% of .918%. Marc Andre Fleury is sitting at a respectable .929%.
Coincidentally the team that the Penguins are tied with for 19th are the Blue Jackets.
Curtis McElhinney has taken over the starting role with Bobrovsky out and he has an EVSV% of .916%.
Trends
Penguins are 7-0 in their last 7 vs. Metropolitan.
Penguins are 6-1 in their last 7 Sunday games.
Blue Jackets are 5-1 in their last 6 vs. Metropolitan
Blue Jackets are 5-1 in their last 6 vs. Eastern Conference
Blue Jackets are 5-2 in their last 7 home games
Penguins are 4-0 in the last 4 meetings
Home team is 9-4 in the last 13 meetings
Stats courtesy of covers.com
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