Pittsburgh Penguins Vs. Vancouver Canucks GameDay, TV/Radio, And Preview

Tonight is the second contest of a three-game homestand as the Pittsburgh Penguins (17-5-2, 36 points) host the Vancouver Canucks at Consol Energy Center.

Marc-Andre Fleury put up his fifth shutout of the season on Tuesday as the Black and Gold defeated the New Jersey Devils 1-0. The Pens can not shake the New York Islanders for first place in the Metro Division as both teams have 36 points apiece. The Isles won at home on Tuesday 3-2 over the Ottawa Senators.

With Tuesday’s 4-3 win over the Capitals in Washington, Willie Desjardins’ crew (17-7-1, 35 points) is in second place in the Pacific Division of the NHL’s Western Conference. Vancouver is two points behind the first-place Anaheim Ducks. They have done well on the road with a 10-4-0 record this season.

It is the first of two meetings this season when the two teams drop the puck this evening. The last three times the Pens and Canucks have met on the ice, the games have gone to a shootout, and Pittsburgh won all three contests. The last time Vancouver won in the Steel City was November 2008.

When: Thursday, Dec. 4

Puck Drop: 7:05 p.m.

Site: CONSOL Energy Center

Television: ROOT Sports Network

Announcers: Paul Steigerwald and Bob Errey

Radio Coverage: 105.9 FM – The X and the Penguins Radio Network

Announcers: Mike Lange and Phil Bourque

Live Video Steam: NHL GameCenter LIVE

Audio Stream: Penguins Radio 24/7

Sirius XM Satellite Radio: XM Channel 218, XM Internet 942

Odds: Penguins -1.5 According to Bovada Online Sportsbook with the Over/Under at 5.5.

In the two victories last season by the Penguins over the Canucks, the two teams put up seven goals on 128 shots. Pittsburgh went 1-for-6 on the power play in the pair of contests. Vancouver had trouble on special teams as they went 0-for-3 with the man advantage.

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Forwards Daniel and Henrik Sedin are tied for the team lead with six goals and 18 assists for 24 points each in 25 games. Goaltender Ryan Miller comes in with 16-4-0 record, a 2.45 goals-against-average, and a .910 save percentage.

Miller is 7-13-3 with a 3.28 GAA in 25 career games against the Pens while Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury is 4-2-0 with a 3.05 GAA in six career contests against the Canucks.

The game will be a reunion of sorts for Pittsburgh coach Mike Johnston and Vancouver coach Willie Desjardins. They have been on opposite benches as coaches in the Western Hockey League and they have worked side-by-side with Hockey Canada.

Johnston told the Penguins website that forward Marcel Goc, who missed the last two games with a lower body bruise, practiced on Wednesday and could play tonight. Goc was also at Thursday morning’s optional skate. His return could help with the lower-body-injury absences of forwards Chris Kunitz and Scott Wilson.

The National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced on Wednesday that Pens defenseman Robert Bortuzzo has been suspended for two games without pay for interference against New Jersey Devils forward Jaromir Jagr during the game on Tuesday in Pittsburgh.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and based on his average annual salary, Bortuzzo will surrender almost $6,500 dollars. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Up Next: The Black and Gold conclude their three-game homestand with an afternoon matinee on Saturday, Dec. 6 against the Ottawa Senators (10-9-5, 25 points). The puck is set to drop at 1 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ROOT Sports Pittsburgh.

From The Clipboard: Tonight, Craig Adams will tie Ron Schock’s streak of 313 consecutive games played in Penguins history…Pittsburgh is the only team in the NHL to have three players with at least 25 points. The prolific trio is Sidney Crosby with 33, Evgeni Malkin with 30, and Patric Hornqvist with 25…The Pens are 7-2-1 in their last 10 contests.