Quick Hits

1) Tonight, the Penguins conclude their fourth set of back-to-back games. The team is 2-2-3 in back-to-backs thus far (2-1-1 on the first night and 0-1-2 on the second night).

2) The Penguins enter today’s game ranked second in the NHL in power-play percentage (30.2%) and fourth in penalty kill success rate (85.7%).

3) Kris Letang has 14 points (3G-11A) in his last 21 games against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and 32 points (5G-27A) in 49 games against them total.

4) Pittsburgh’s penalty kill has allowed just three power-play goals against over its last 15 games (35-for-38, 92.1%).

5) Bryan Rust has six points (2G-4A) in his last three games against Toronto. In 21 career games, he has 19 points (6G-13A) versus the Maple Leafs.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Sidney Crosby enters tonight’s game tied with Mario Lemieux for the seventh-most points at home by a player in NHL history (939).

GOALS GALORE

Sidney Crosby tallied two goals last night, and enters tonight’s game one goal from surpassing Dave Andreychuk (640) for the 15th-most goals in NHL history.

CLIMBING THE RANKS

Evgeni Malkin is two assists shy of tying Bobby Clark for the 11th-most assists in NHL history with one team.

OVERTIME HERO

Kris Letang was the overtime hero last night in Columbus, notching his 12th career overtime goal in the win. Pittsburgh has four players in the top-9 in overtime scoring in NHL history. Letang’s goal doubled as his 35th career game-winning goal, which is now tied for fourth in NHL history among defensemen with one franchise.

ALL THE STOPS

Pittsburgh has gotten consistent goaltending all season, as the team’s .909 save percentage ranks second in the NHL. Tristan Jarry, who picked up the win last night in Columbus, has helped the Penguins pick up points in seven of his nine starts this season (7-2-0).

SHUTDOWN DEFENSE

The Penguins have allowed the third fewest goals against in the NHL (60) and have held their opponents to two goals or less 10 times this season (7-0-3 when doing so).

HOW SWEDE IT IS

Erik Karlsson enters tonight’s game one point shy of surpassing Peter Forsberg for the eighth-most points by a Swedish-born player in NHL history.

AGAINST TORONTO

Sidney Crosby is currently riding a five-game point streak against Toronto (1G-6A) and has 74 points (30G-44A) in 57 career games against the Maple Leafs. His five-game point streak is tied for the second-longest active point streak against Toronto.

Crosby has 21 career multi-point games against Toronto, which is his second-highest total against an Atlantic Division opponent (Buffalo – 23). He has been held without a point in just five of 28 games against them at PPG Paints Arena.

Two members of the Penguins blue line, Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang, have put up solid numbers against the Maple Leafs in their careers. Karlsson leads all active defensemen with 12 goals, 35 assists and 46 points in 50 games against Toronto, while Letang’s 32 points (5G-27A) in 49 games ranks fourth among active blueliners.

Evgeni Malkin has made a habit of turning in big performances against the Toronto Maple Leafs over the course of his career. In 50 games, Malkin has 24 goals, 48 assists and 72 points. He has been held scoreless against Toronto only 12 times in his career, and has recorded three or more points 10 times. In the 20 games that he’s recorded multiple points versus the Maple Leafs, the Penguins are 14-5-1 and they are a perfect 10-0-0 when he scores three or more points. Malkin’s 1.44 points-per-game average is his highest against any team, and is the second highest against Toronto among all active players (min. 5 games).

Malkin’s 1.44 points-per-game average is tied for 15th in NHL history (min. 15 GP).