The Pittsburgh Penguins will return home to host the Nashville Predators on Saturday night after wrapping up their season-long seven-game road trip with a 3-2 overtime win in Utah.
Superstar captain Sidney Crosby scored at the 3:54 mark in overtime as the Penguins snapped a three-game losing streak. Marcus Pettersson and defenseman Erik Karlsson also scored for Pittsburgh, which wrapped up its longest road trip since 1997 with a 3-4-0 record.
Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic made 27 saves in the victory over Utah Hockey Club.
Crosby, who leads the Penguins with 39 assists and 55 points in 53 games, extended his point streak to three games (three goals, one assist).
“I think there’s probably a couple games that could have probably went the other way for us. Probably could have got another win or two. But, almost .500, and hopefully we can bring some of the momentum back home,” Crosby said. “But it’s good to finish the trip off with a win and a big finish here before the break.”
Nedeljkovic, Saturday’s expected starter, is 10-9-4 with an .896 save percentage and 3.15 goals-against average. In six career games against the Predators, he is 3-3-0 with a .916 save percentage and 2.34 GAA.
Saturday will be the second and final meeting between the Penguins and Predators this season.
Crosby and Bryan Rust each registered a four-point performance as Pittsburgh edged Nashville 5-4 in overtime on Dec. 19 in the Music City.
Rust scored twice, including the winner 1:07 into overtime, and added two assists. Crosby had a goal and three assists, Karlsson and Rickard Rakell also scored, and Tristan Jarry made 22 saves.
Brady Skjei scored and set up a goal and Filip Forsberg had a pair of helpers in Nashville’s loss. Luke Evangelista, Jonathan Marchessault and Steven Stamkos also scored for the Predators, while Juuse Saros stopped 15 shots.
Nashville enters the game following a 4-3 defeat to the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.
Skjei scored a goal and an assist, and Evangelista also tallied in his return to Nashville’s lineup after missing a month of action due to a lower-body injury. Tommy Novak also scored for the Predators, who have dropped three straight games.
Justus Annunen made 23 saves in the loss.
“Kind of threw away the game, made classic mistakes at the wrong times, and gave them free offense, free goals,” Predators coach Andrew Brunette said. “I thought lots of the game, especially through the second, I thought we owned the game and lost momentum on the power play … weren’t that great in the third and made some mistakes.”
Forsberg paces all Predators scorers with 18 goals and 49 points in 50 games this season.
Before Friday’s game, the Predators recalled goaltender Matt Murray from Milwaukee of the American Hockey League to back up Annunen. Saros was scratched due to illness.
Murray, who signed with the Predators in the offseason, has yet to appear with Nashville. In four career NHL games with the Dallas Stars, he is 2-2-0 with a 2.53 GAA and an .885 save percentage.
–Field Level Media
