Overview
- Puck drop is 3 p.m. EST at Nationwide Arena.
- Pittsburgh enters at 19-12-9 in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division, while Columbus is 18-16-6 in eighth.
- Columbus has won four of its past five, highlighted by a 5-1 victory over Buffalo that ended the Sabres' 10-game streak.
- Evgeni Malkin is not on Pittsburgh’s short road trip, with Arturs Silovs expected in goal and Elvis Merzlikins a possibility for Columbus.
- After today, Pittsburgh faces a dense run of nine games in 15 days from Jan. 8 to Jan. 22.