Sidney Crosby looks for win against Utah HC, 33rd different NHL franchise

The last time the Penguins played the Utah Hockey Club, it was a joyous and depressing day all at the same time. Sidney Crosby netted his 600th career goal, joining a very exclusive list of NHLers to achieve the mark.

The Captain's goal made the game 2-1, but the Penguins went out with a whimper, losing 6-1 in the end.

After this game, the Penguins turned it on and got back into the playoff conversation, but since 2025 has arrived, the Penguins find themselves in a much more dire state.

The Objective

The Utah Hockey Club is just a few points ahead of the Penguins in the overall league standings, and just like we prescribed against the San Jose Sharks, it would behoove the Penguins more to lose this one.

However, it would be quite historic for Sidney Crosby to snag a win over the new Utah franchise because it would mean that he would have a win against 33 NHL teams.

Even the defunct Atlanta Thrashers fell victim to a young Sidney Crosby as well as the late Arizona Coyotes that the Utah HC replaced.

This game could be a feel-good story if the Penguins end up winning, but as always, the objective is to allow these bottom feeder teams to win while The Kid chases another point-per-game season.

Utah HC Scouting Report

Utah is one of the streakiest teams in the NHL. Currently, they're on a two game losing streak, but that was preceded by a three game winning streak and a three game losing streak before that.

If trends keep up, the Penguins would win this one to keep the intervals of three going, but Pittsburgh will have to contend with the likes of Barrett Hayton, who has four goals in his last four games. Hayton was awarded the NHL's Third Star of the Week for his performance.

In net will be Connor Ingram who has had his fair share of struggles after a good 2023-24 season. He's been the backup to Karel Vejmelka this season and has been having trouble at the end of periods.

While the Penguins are notorious for giving up goals on the first shot of the game, Ingram has been notorious for giving up goals on the last shot of the period. Keep an eye on that tonight as the Penguins have been ice cold in the goal department - just three in their last three games.

The Penguins are just a point ahead of the Seattle Kraken in being bottom five in the NHL. The Kraken face off against the Sharks tomorrow night, so a loss tonight could put the Penguins in a better spot to sneak into that 5th draft lottery slot.

Puck drop is scheduled for 9:30pm EST tonight from Utah.