Since his snub from Team Sweden's 4 Nations roster, Penguins forward Rickard Rakell has 12 goals and 22 points in 18 games. After one of their best efforts of the season in a 5-1 win against the Los Angeles Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/depth-scoring-shines-as-penguins-earn-impressive-5-1-victory-over-kings] on Monday, the Pittsburgh Penguins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/] will look to continue the momentum on their road trip when they take on the Anaheim Ducks Thursday night. And they'll be getting a former Duck back into their lineup to help their efforts. Forward Rickard Rakell - who missed Monday's game for family reasons [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/penguins-at-kings-preview-rakell-takes-leave-pens-support-fire-relief-efforts] - has rejoined the team and is expected to be back in the lineup against Anaheim. Rakell leads the Penguins in goals this season with 23 [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/4-nations-injury-makes-way-for-top-penguins-forward-to-crack-tournament-roster] and figures to slot right back alongside Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust. On the flip side, forward Blake Lizotte is the guy coming out of the lineup to make way for Rakell. Lizotte is out with an illness. Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic - who has earned two straight wins and has only given up three goals on his last 68 shot faced [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/nedeljkovic-makes-history-as-penguins-beat-sabres-5-2] - will get the start between the pipes for the Penguins. In his career against the Ducks, Nedeljkovic is 2-0 with a .947 save percentage and 0.96 goals-against average. The Ducks sit near the bottom of the Western Conference and are nine points out of the second wild card spot. Their minus-37 goal differential is the third-worst mark in the league, and they're riding a two-game losing streak. They are 2-6-2 in their last 10 games. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjEyMTYyNzc0NjIzNTk0MDE5/thnpitnews.png] Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjEwNjYwNDIwMDI3OTUwOTI5/thnpitbanner.png]
