Shea-ved Ice: Devils Vs. Penguins Preview
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – After an embarrassing loss last night at the hands of the Ottawa Senators, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be looking to get back on track when they host the New Jersey Devils tonight.
Last night, rookie goaltender Brad Thiessen got hung out to dry and allowed eight goals on 28 shots in an 8-4 loss.
To be perfectly frank, it would not have mattered who was in net for the Penguins last night. Sloppy play and porous defense was ultimately the reason they suffered a regulation loss for the first time since a 6-2 drubbing by the Buffalo Sabres on Feb. 19.
There's no sense getting worked up over the loss as the Penguins were on a 13-0-1 run since that loss to Buffalo.
If anything, it will show them that they can't take anything for granted and need to work hard every night.
The Penguins now trail the New York Rangers by three points for the top spot in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference.
The Penguins can't be happy with their performance Saturday night, but they get a chance to fix those mistakes tonight against the Devils.
New Jersey last played on Friday – a 4-3 shootout loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Overall, they have lost three of their last four, including a 5-2 loss to the Penguins on March 17.
This will be the sixth and final meeting between the teams this season and the Devils currently hold a 3-2 series lead.
Ilya Kovalchuk continues to lead the way for the Devils with 31 goals and 74 points. Patrik Elias is hot on his heels with 70 points (25 goals, 45 assists).
In goal, Martin Brodeur (26-20-4, 2.46 GAA, .905 save percentage) will almost certainly be in net tonight for this divisional matchup.
Against the Penguins, Brodeur is 45-26-1 with four ties to go along with a 2.45 GAA and a .904 save percentage. He has also shut the Penguins out nine times.
For Pittsburgh, Evgeni Malkin was held off the score sheet last night, but Sidney Crosby scored his first goal since he returned to the lineup on March 15.
He may get credit for two goals in the game as it appeared he may have gotten a stick on the Penguins' first goal of the contest as it was nearing the goal line.
In goal, Marc-Andre Fleury (40-14-4, 2.24 GAA, .917 save percentage) was given the night off against the Senators. It would seem likely he'll be in the cage tonight against the Devils.
Against New Jersey, he is 13-18-4 with a 2.61 GAA and a .913 save percentage. He has also shut the Devils out three times.
You can watch tonight's game at 7 p.m. on Root Sports.
You can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sheavedice
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