Crosby, Penguins to host the Blue Jackets
Columbus Blue Jackets (37-26-3, ninth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (35-22-9, seventh in the Eastern Conference)
Pittsburgh; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Sidney Crosby leads Pittsburgh into a matchup with Columbus. He's fourth in the league with 86 points, scoring 30 goals and recording 56 assists.
The Penguins are 11-7-2 in division games. Pittsburgh is fourth in the Eastern Conference shooting 10.6 percent and averaging 3.4 goals on 32.7 shots per game.
The Blue Jackets have gone 20-10-1 away from home. Columbus has scored 29 power-play goals, converting on 15.5 percent of chances. In their last meeting on Feb. 26, Pittsburgh won 5-2.
TOP PERFORMERS: Crosby leads the Penguins with 86 total points, scoring 30 goals and collecting 56 assists. Evgeni Malkin has scored seven goals and totaled 10 points over the last 10 games for Pittsburgh.
LAST 10 GAMES: Blue Jackets: 5-5-0, averaging 6.7 points, 2.4 goals, 4.3 assists, 2.7 penalties and 6.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game with a .906 save percentage.
Penguins: 6-2-2, averaging 9.9 points, 3.6 goals, 6.3 assists, 4.1 penalties and 11.5 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game with a .910 save percentage.
Penguins Injuries: Bryan Rust: out (lower body), Chad Ruhwedel: out (upper body).
Blue Jackets Injuries: None listed.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by HERO Sports, and data from Sportradar.