For the final time in 2025, the Pittsburgh Penguins will hit the ice, taking on the Carolina Hurricanes in a Metro Division showdown at PPG Paints Arena. The Penguins are coming off a 7-3 drubbing of the Chicago
Blackhawks on Sunday, but the division leading Hurricanes promise to be a much stiffer test for the Penguins to round out the year. Carolina will be down several key players for this matchup with Seth Jarvis and Jaccob Slavin both on injured reserve and out of action. Defenseman K’Andre Miller suffered an injury on Sunday and is listed as day-to-day, making his availability for this evening’s game up in the air as well.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM and will be broadcast on Sportsnet Pittsburgh.
Pens Points…
A win over the Chicago Blackhawks is nice, but that is a team that this version of the Penguins should beat more times than not. Now the schedule toughens up the rest of this week and we will get a better idea of who the Penguins really are to start the new year. [Pensburgh]
With a new year comes a new set of predictions for how the next 365 days in unfold in the Penguins universe. Some calls will seem obvious while others come as more of a reach. Either way, there will be ones that come to fruition while others will have us scratching our heads next December. [Pensburgh]
Maybe the best story to come from the first half of the Penguins season besides their surprising contention has been the emergence of Justin Brazeau. Thought of as more for his toughness when he signed, Brazeau is putting together a career year in his first season with the Penguins. [Daily Faceoff]
Erik Karlsson did not participate in Penguins practice on Monday after coming down with an illness according to head coach Dan Muse. His absence was listed as precautionary though no update was given as to his status for Tuesday night’s game against Carolina. [Trib Live]
Kyle Dubas didn’t wait long for the holiday roster freeze to lift before making some moves. In a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Penguins acquired forward Igor Chinakhov in exchange for some draft picks and fellow forward Danton Heinen who just cleared waivers. [Pensburgh]
NHL News and Notes…
It’s crunch time for Olympic hopefuls as the participating teams prepare to announce their rosters for the upcoming Winter Games. While some players are safe to book travel plans for Italy, there are some holding their breath to learn if they will make the cut. [NHL]
Nikita Kucherov rose above the rest last week with six points in three games to take home First Star of the Week honors from the NHL. Eeli Tolvanen matched Kucherov with six points and was named Second Star while Juraj Slafkovsky posted five points to be named Third Star. [NHL]
