Pittsburgh Penguins Vs. Tampa Bay Lightning GameDay, TV/Radio, Odds, And Preview

The Pittsburgh Penguins (23-9-5, 51 points) seek to build momentum in the new year as they go after their second win in a row tonight when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning at Consol Energy Center.

The Black and Gold are second overall in the National Hockey League’s Eastern Conference, only one point behind the Lightning. They are tied in points for first-place in the Metropolitan Division with the New York Islanders (25-11-1, 51 points). The Isles are on the road tonight as they take on the Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary.

More from Pittsburgh Penguins

• Pittsburgh Penguins: A Look Back at 2019
• Penguins Will Continue to Persevere Despite Injuries
• Penguins: Alex Galchenyuk May Finally Start Meeting Expectations
• Penguins’ Three Keys to Help End Islanders’ Point Streak
• Penguins: Without Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin Will Be an MVP Candidate

Pittsburgh’s acqusition of Edmonton Oilers forward David Perron on Friday is covered here on City Of Champions Sports by Matt Gajtka.

Jon Cooper’s crew comes into this evening’s matchup with a record of 24-11-1 and 52 points as they are in first place in the Atlantic Division. Tampa Bay is 9-7-3 on the road, have won four straight, and are 6-3-1 in their last 10 contests. The Penguins enjoy home cooking as they are 14-5-1 at home this season, and are 5-3-2 over their last 10 games.

Tonight is the third and final matchup this season when these two teams meet at center ice. The Pens captured the first meeting at home 4-2 on Monday, Dec. 15, while the Lightning took the rematch 4-3 on Tuesday, Dec. 23 at Amalie Arena in Tampa. It should be noted that Tampa Bay has never won at Consol Energy Center (0-7-1).

When: Friday, Jan. 2

Puck Drop: 7 p.m., ET

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.

Coming into tonight’s matchup, Tampa Bay right wing Nikita Kucherov scored two goals and had one assist against the Buffalo Sabres on New Year’s Eve. He had three points on the score sheet when the Lightning defeated the Pens on Dec. 23.

Lightning left wing Ondrej Palat and center Tyler Johnson each contributed three assists in the victory over Buffalo on Wednesday. Palat also had the game winning goal. Tampa Bay leads the league in total goals with 126.

The Penguins finished the month of December with a 7-2 record at home. Last month, they surrendered just 13 goals in nine home games. Tonight, Pittsburgh begins their seventh set of back-to-back games.

Pittsburgh right wing Steve Downie returns to the lineup tonight after being out the last six games with the mumps.

Thomas Greiss will start in goal tonight. His last time between the pipes was on Dec. 13 against the Blue Jackets in Columbus. Marc-Andre Fleury will be back in net tomorrow evening against Montreal.

Up Next: One last reminder that the Black and Gold are back on the ice on Saturday, Jan. 3 when they host the Montreal Canadiens (24-11-2, 50 points). The puck is set to drop at 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ROOT Sports Pittsburgh.

From The Clipboard: Chris Kunitz has four points, two goals and two assists, in his last four games…Evgeni Malkin was the team leader in points in December as he put up five goals and seven assists for 12 points in 14 contests. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound center is second in the NHL with 24 points scored at home this season…Beau Bennett‘s two assists against Carolina on New Year’s Eve tied a career high.

Next: Pittsburgh Penguins Acquire David Perron From Edmonton Oilers