Crosby and the Penguins visit the Hurricanes
Pittsburgh Penguins (39-24-10, third in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (39-25-7, fourth in the Metropolitan Division)
Raleigh, North Carolina; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Sidney Crosby leads Pittsburgh into a matchup against Carolina. He ranks fourth in the NHL with 92 points, scoring 33 goals and recording 59 assists.
The Hurricanes are 9-10-2 against opponents in the Metropolitan Division. Carolina leads the Eastern Conference shooting 34.8 shots per game while averaging 3.0 goals.
The Penguins have gone 18-11-7 away from home. Pittsburgh ranks fourth in the Eastern Conference averaging 5.7 assists per game, led by Crosby with 0.8. In their last meeting on Feb. 5, Carolina won 4-0.
TOP PERFORMERS: Sebastian Aho leads the Hurricanes with 30 goals and has totaled 78 points. Teuvo Teravainen has totaled one goal and 11 assists over the last 10 games for Carolina.
LAST 10 GAMES: Penguins: 6-2-2, averaging 3.1 goals, 4.9 assists, 3.5 penalties and 7.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.2 goals per game with a .933 save percentage.
Hurricanes: 7-2-1, averaging 3.4 goals, 5.8 assists, three penalties and 8.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game with a .916 save percentage.
Hurricanes Injuries: Calvin de Haan: out indefinitely (upper body).
Penguins Injuries: Zachary Aston-Reese: out (lower body), Bryan Rust: out (lower body), Chad Ruhwedel: out (upper body), Kris Letang: out (upper body).