Pittsburgh is the reverse case. The Penguins can score. They put up 4 in all 3 of their latest losses, 5-4 at Utah, 4-3 to Utah at home and 5-4 at Montreal, and lost every one by a single goal. Before that they shut out Florida 4-0 and edged Nashville 3-2, so this group can close out games. Lately it hasn't kept the puck out of its own net. Pittsburgh also hosts Vegas before Boston arrives, so the Penguins' streak, their record and possibly Malkin's status will all have changed before puck drop.
Malkin missed practice with a lower-body injury and is day-to-day. He was questionable for the Vegas game, and he's second on the team with 11 points (6 goals, 5 assists) in 13 games. Whether he plays Tuesday, and how he looks if he does, is the first thing to watch. The defense is the bigger problem. Kaedan Korczak is also day-to-day with a lower-body injury, and Ryan Graves and Trevor van Riemsdyk are both on injured reserve, which leaves Pittsburgh with very few healthy NHL defensemen. Up front, Bryan Rust is out with a lower-body injury and won't be re-evaluated for 6 weeks, and Elmer Soderblom is week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
That's the matchup to watch. Boston's offense has gone quiet on the road, and Pittsburgh's defense has 3 regulars out and a fourth who is day-to-day. If the Bruins' road scoring doesn't come back against a blue line this short, it probably isn't coming back soon. If Malkin plays and Pittsburgh keeps scoring 4 a night, the Penguins only need 1 more save than they've been getting. Puck drop is 7:00 PM ET on Thursday, November 5.
