The Pittsburgh Penguins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins] have won three of their last four games since head coach Dan Muse called them out following a 3-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/seattle-kraken] on Nov. 22. They recently beat the Philadelphia Flyers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers] 5-1 in dominant fashion on Monday, thanks to another outstanding performance from captain Sidney Crosby. Crosby, who loves torturing the Flyers and their fans, notched two goals and was a menace in all three zones. Goaltender Tristan Jarry was also great, saving 28 of 29 shots. He's set to get the start against the Tampa Bay Lightning [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning] on Thursday after he was the first goaltender off [https://x.com/JMackeyPG/status/1996623501462319586?s=20]the ice at the morning skate. Speaking of the Lightning, they are one of the best teams in the NHL right now. After losing six of their first seven games to open the season, they've won 15 of their last 19 games and have a 16-8-2 record, good for first place in the Atlantic Division. They had their seven-game winning streak snapped by the New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders] on Tuesday. The Penguins will avoid seeing Andrei Vasilevskiy on Thursday after Lightning head coach Jon Cooper confirmed that Jonas Johansson will start in goal. They'll still have to face the Lightning's vaunted top six, led by supertstar Nikita Kucherov. Kucherov is off to another fantastic start, compiling 11 goals and 32 points in 24 games. Brandon Hagel and old friend Jake Guentzel are also off to great starts, each compiling 27 points to start the year. The Penguins didn't do line rushes at the morning skate, so there's a good chance the lines will remain the same from Monday [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/pittsburgh-penguins-at-philadelphia-flyers-preview-lineup-changes-where-to-watch-1]. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh. You can also listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwquDfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!
