Game Preview: Tampa Bay Lightning @ Pittsburgh Penguins 4/4/2024 - Lines, how to watch

06/04/2024 14:36

The Penguins' late-season push for a postseason bid continues with a home game against the playoff-bound Lightning.

Who:Tampa Bay Lightning (43-26-7, 93 points, 4th place Atlantic Division) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (35-30-11, 81 points, 6th place Metropolitan Division)

When: 1 p.m. ET

How to Watch: Nationally televised on ABC / streaming on ESPN+

Pens' Path Ahead: The critical final stretch of the regular season heats up next week. The Pens head to Toronto to meet the Maple Leafs Monday, then return to PPG Paints Thursday for a battle with the Detroit Red Wings likely to have major implications in the race for the second Eastern Conference wild card.

Opponent Track: The Lightning have gone on a dominant 10-1-1 stretch to gain a comfortable 10-point lead in the race for the conference's first wild card spot. Most recently Tampa Bay rode a four-goal second period to a 7-4 Thursday victory over the Montreal Canadiens.

Season Series: The Pens and Lightning have split the season series so far, with the Penguins claiming a 4-2 win in Tampa on Nov. 30 before returning for a listless 3-1 loss on Dec. 6.

Hidden Stat: The Lightning are one of 12 teams with at least 20 road wins so far this season.

Getting to know the Lightning

Potential lines

FORWARDS

Anthony Duclair - Brayden Point - Nikita Kucherov

Steven Stamkos - Anthony Cirelli - Brandon Hagel

Michael Eyssimont - Nicholas Paul - Mitchell Chaffee

Tyler Motte - Luke Glendening - Austin Watson

DEFENSEMEN

Victor Hedman / Darren Raddysh

Calvin De Haan / Erik Cernak

Emil Martinsen Lilleberg / Matt Dumba

Goalies: Andrei Vasilevskiy, Matt Tomkins

Possible scratches: Conor Sheary, Tanner Jeannot, Nick Perbix, Haydn Fleury, Jonas Johansson

IR: Logan Brown, Mikhail Sergachev, Brent Seabrook

• Third-string goaltender Matt Tomkin, added to the roster as an emergency recall, started for the Lightning during Thursday's win over the Canadiens in order to give Vasilevskiy some rest in the second night of a back-to-back with backup Jonas Johansson injured. Expect Vasilevskiy back in net to face the Pens this afternoon.

Player stats

(via hockeydb)

• Nikita Kucherov recorded three points for the second straight game Thursday night to reach 133 points on the season. Of that NHL-leading total, 47 have come on the power-play. Keep an eye on No. 86 in white if the Lightning get a man-advantage tonight.

Kucherov is also a danger when there's an empty net around. He leads the NHL with seven empty-net goals and 13 empty-net points so far this season.

Those two stats have helped Kucherov lead his team's production race by almost 50 points:

Ready to contend, again

After a mediocre start to the season, the Lightning are heating up right before the playoffs.

In the 14 games the team has played since March 1, the Lightning have recorded:

• 11-2-1 record and .821 points percentage (No. 2 in NHL)
• 4.21 goals per game (No. 1 in NHL)
• 29.6 percent power play percentage (No. 3 in NHL)
• 95.5 penalty kill success rate (No. 1 in NHL)

Meanwhile Andrei Vasilevskiy, who initially struggled after returning from surgery on a herniated disk, has recorded over that span:

• .918 save percentage (No. 1 in NHL among starting goaltenders)
• Nine wins (Tied for No. 1 in NHL)

And now for the Pens

Projected lines

FORWARDS

Drew O'Connor - Sidney Crosby - Bryan Rust

Michael Bunting - Evgeni Malkin - Rickard Rakell

Reilly Smith - Lars Eller - Emil Bemstrom

Jesse Puljujarvi - Jeff Carter - Valtteri Puustinen

DEFENSEMEN

P.O. Joseph / Kris Letang

Marcus Pettersson / Erik Karlsson

Ryan Shea / Jack St. Ivany

Goalies: Alex Nedeljkovic, Tristan Jarry

Potential Scratches: John Ludvig, Ryan Graves (concussion)

IR: Matt Nieto (knee surgery), Jansen Harkins (hand injury), Noel Acciari (lower body injury)

• Friday was an optional practice for the Pens, per Pens Inside Scoop.
• Jansen Harkins rejoined practice for the first time since suffering a hand injury in early March, per Mike Sullivan.
• Sullivan additionally confirmed that John Ludvig is still sick, and Graves is still out with a concussion.
• The Penguins are feeling good after back-to-back wins over the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils put them within sight of the playoffs:

• The Penguins' net is Alex Nedeljkovic's to lose right now: