The San Jose Sharks have lost nine of their last ten games as well as six straight coming into tonight's bout with the Penguins.
They are sitting pretty at the bottom of the NHL not only with the least amount of points but also the most games played - the holy grail of tanking.
The Penguins are coming in having lost back-to-back games against lottery-bound teams and have effectively taken themselves out of the playoff conversation.
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The Penguins announced today that Evgeni Malkin has been placed on IR and Jesse Puljujarvi has been recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Forward Jesse Puljujarvi has been recalled from @WBSPenguins (AHL).
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 27, 2025
Forward Evgeni Malkin has been placed on Injured Reserve. pic.twitter.com/Yb3P9Bth2I
The speed with which the Penguins placed Geno on IR is alarming, but likely an easier decision now that the team is out of contention. Malkin's injury came on Saturday when he bumped knees with Chandler Stevenson of Seattle.
There's no reason to rush Malkin back into the lineup, and management seems to have assumed that philosophy by wasting no time putting him out for at least a week. The most important thing for the Penguins the rest of the way is to stay healthy and let the young prospects ease their way into the NHL level.
No trades have formulated yet, but at the gun's sound, pieces will likely start to move. It's just a matter of when the right deal comes about.
Scouting report on the Sharks
Much like the Kraken, if you throw a dart at a board with any given team stat on it, odds are the Sharks are in the bottom quarter in the NHL.
Like you'd expect from the worst team in the league, San Jose doesn't do much of anything well.
The 2016 Stanley Cup finalists matched up back in November with the Penguins winning 4-3 in a shootout - the very rare instance where the Penguins actually scored in one.
The Penguins and Sharks are 31st and 32nd in the NHL in goals allowed per game, so if you like o6.5 goals, this would be your night to hammer it (just be warned that if you take it from me, it most definitely won't happen).
Statistically, the Sharks and Penguins have combined for over 6.5 goals in five of their last seven meetings. Do with this information what you will.
The goalie matchup will feature Alex Nedeljkovic and likely the young Yaroslav Askarov, who has somewhat stablized the goaltending for San Jose with an .899 SV% and a 3-5-0 record.
I don't know how Yaroslav Askarov's hips do this, but it sure does make covering the bottom of the net easier.
— Jesse Granger (@JesseGranger_) January 20, 2025
He's been awesome today, and he's a lot of fun to watch. pic.twitter.com/fYIjXs9asw
So what should Pens fans root for?
Goals, goals, and maybe a couple more goals.
Sidney Crosby is looking to stay point per game in his 20th straight season to pass Wayne Gretzky. Root for Crosby points and goals galore.
Also root for some depth goals from guys like Anthony Beauvillier and Cody Glass to boost their trade stock.
Remember when the Penguins beat the Sharks 10-2 last season?
Here are some goal scorers from that game: Reilly Smith (twice), Vinnie Hinostroza, and Matt Nieto. Good gosh, what a squad.
For Penguins fans, the rooting guide is: root for a loss, but look good while doing it.
It's like falling into a puddle while wearing formal dress. Inherently, you look good, but you also just fell into mud. There are levels to losing. We want the graceful level.
Puck drop is scheduled for 10:30pm EST.