Pittsburgh Penguins (29-12-5, second in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Boston Bruins (27-9-12, first in the Atlantic Division)
Boston; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: David Pastrnak leads Boston into a matchup with Pittsburgh. He currently ranks fifth in the league with 66 points, scoring 36 goals and recording 30 assists.
The Bruins are 18-6-9 in Eastern Conference games. Boston is eighth in the league shooting 10.6% and averaging 3.3 goals on 31.4 shots per game.
The Penguins are 9-8-3 in Eastern Conference play. Pittsburgh ranks sixth in the NHL averaging 3.4 goals per game, led by Bryan Rust with 19.
In their last matchup on Nov. 4, Boston won 6-4. Brad Marchand recorded a team-high 5 points for the Bruins.
TOP PERFORMERS: Marchand leads the Bruins with a plus-19 in 48 games played this season. Pastrnak has recorded eight goals and four assists over the last 10 games for Boston.
Rust leads the Penguins with 19 goals and has recorded 40 points. Evgeni Malkin has collected 10 assists over the last 10 games for Pittsburgh.
LAST 10 GAMES: Penguins: 8-1-1, averaging four goals, 7.3 assists, 3.6 penalties and 9.1 penalty minutes while allowing 2.8 goals per game with a .913 save percentage.
Bruins: 5-2-3, averaging 2.9 goals, 5.4 assists, 3.3 penalties and 7.1 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game with a .920 save percentage.
INJURIES: Bruins: Tuukka Rask: day to day (upper body).
Penguins: None listed.
