The Pittsburgh Penguins open a four-game road trip tonight in Vancouver. Face-off is 10pm. The Canucks have the best record in the NHL, with a league-leading 82 points over 60 games. The Pens have earned 60 points over 55 games this season. The Pens lost 4-3 in overtime to Vancouver in January.
The Washington Capitals and New York Islanders both picked up wins last night and gained ground on the Penguins, who are all trying to track down a playoff spot.
The Penguins are now nine points out of a Wild Card spot, but trail Philadelphia by seven points for the third playoff position in the Metropolitan Division. They have played the least amount of games in the Eastern Conference, and have four games “in-hand” over the Flyers.
Penguins forward Jake Guentzel has returned to the ice for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury February 14th. He is on Injured Reserve and cannot return to play until at least March 10th. He will continue to skate with his team on the current road trip. Bryan Rust, who was injured in the Philadelphia victory Sunday, did not travel with the team.