Pittsburgh is just two points out of a wild card spot and will look to build upon their 5-2 record in the last seven games
After a disppointing 6-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Penguins will look to get back on track in their Thursday tilt against the Montreal Canadiens.
The Penguins bested Montreal in their first matchup of the season on Oct. 14 by a score of 6-3. They scored three unanswered goals in the third period by Kevin Hayes, Kris Letang, and Evgeni Malkin. Malkin had three points in that game, and goaltender Tristan Jarry stopped 24 of 27 Montreal shots. They also beat Montreal in their second tilt on Nov. 2, 3-1, with two goals from Sidney Crosby and one by Blake Lizotte.
Jarry will get the start against Montreal again tonight, as he has won four of his last five decisions and had above a .900 save percentage in three of those contests.
Even though the Penguins hit a blip in the road with Colorado on Tuesday, they have responded better as of late to adversity. And head coach Mike Sullivan believes in the group that they have.
"The biggest thing that I love about the group is their appetite to win, and their drive to win, and what their own expectations are of themselves," Sullivan said. "That's never changed. And that's part of the reason why this group of core players are the elite players that they are, and that's why they're as accomplished as they are. They're just so driven to want to win, and they're willing to put the work in to do so."
Defensemen Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang have had ample success against the Canadiens. Karlsson and Letang are tied for first among active defensemen in career goals against Montreal with 10, and they are second and third in overall points behind Victor Hedman with 42 and 37, respectively.
Here is Thursday's lineup, which has a bit of a different look:
Blake Lizotte has bumped to fourth-line center, Michael Bunting has been promoted to the second line, and Kevin Hayes is out for Matt Nieto. The defensive pairings will remain the same for Pittsburgh.
Montreal has won three of their last four games but is 11-14-3 on the season, which is last in the East. They are 5-4-1 in their last 10 and have a 8-6-2 record at home this season.
