Penguins/NHL
Pens at the 25 Game Mark
The Pittsburgh Penguins are at the 25 game mark and after an inconsistent start to the season, the Penguins enter Monday’s action with a 15-8-2 record, good for 32 points which gives them the 3rd best record in the NHL.
The Penguins trail the Washington Capitals (17-6-2, 36 pts) by 4 points and division rival Philadelphia (15-6-4, 34 points) by 2 points.
The Atlantic Division is a three team race at this point with Philadelphia and Pittsburgh separated by just 2 points and the New York Rangers off to a 14-10-1 (29 pts) start. New Jersey is 4th in the division with 18 points and the New York Islanders are dead last with 15 points.
Penguins by the Numbers
*Pittsburgh is 10th in goals for, averaging 2.96 goals per game and 8th in the NHL with 46 even strength goals.
*For a team whose focus has been on having a defensive mindset, the Penguins are 5th in the league in goals against, giving up just 2.44 goals per game.
*The power play remains a work in progress but the Penguins have moved up to 15th in the league, clicking at 16.4%. The Penguins have given up 3 shorthanded goals, which is good for 20th in the NHL.
*The Penguins enter Monday with the No. 1 ranked penalty kill for the third day in a row. The Penguins are 90.2% on the PK. Monteal is second at 90.1%. Pittsburgh has given up just 10 power play goals against this season.
Pittsburgh is tied for second in the NHL with 5 shorthanded goals.
*Pittsburgh is 6-3 when leading after 1 period and 8-1 when leading after 2 periods. When trailing after 1 period the Penguins are 4-2 but are 0-5 when trailing after 2 periods.
*When the Penguins score first, they are 9-2 on the season. When the Penguins give up the first goal they are 6-8 on the season.
Player Leaders
*Sidney Crosby leads the Penguins with 18 goals, 22 assists, 40 points, 7 power play goals, 18.7 shooting percentage and 54.8 face-off percentage which is first among players who have taken 70 or more face-offs. Crosby is also first among Penguins forwards with a plus-6 rating.
In the NHL points race, Crosby is first, leading Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos (39 pts) by one point.
*Defenseman Kris Letang has 4 goals and 18 assists for 22 points on the season. Letang is first among Penguins defenseman in points and 3rd in the NHL among defenseman in points.
Letang leads the Penguins with a plus-11 rating and is averaging 23:02 of ice time per game.
*Forward Evgeni Malkin is averaging less than a point per game, collecting 8 goals, 14 assists for 22 points in 24 games played. Malkin leads the team with 109 shots on goal. He is a minus-2 on the season.
*Defenseman Paul Martin (1G-11A-12Pts) leads the Penguins in ice time, averaging 23:25 minutes per game and in blocked shots, with 42. Zbynek Michalek is second in blocked shots with 40 and has played 9 less games than Martin.
*Winger Matt Cooke (4G-7A-11Pts) leads the Penguins 2 shorthanded goals, 4 shorthanded points and 75 hits.
*Defenseman Alex Goligoski (5G-7A-12Pts) leads the Penguins with 3 game winning goals.
*Evgeni Malkin leads the Penguins in give aways and take aways. He has 23 giveaways and 15 takeaways on the season.
*Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin lead the Penguins with 6 assists each on the power play.
*Defenseman Deryk Engelland leads the Penguins with 53 penalty minutes and 7 fighting majors.
*Goaltender Marc Andre Fleury is 8-6-1 on the season with a 2.57 GAA and .905 save%. Backup Brent Johnson is 7-2-1 with a 2.00 GAA and .931 save%.
Stats provided by NHL.com
