Game Preview: Penguins vs. Blackhawks (10.10.23)

Game Notes

Forwards Noel Acciari, Lars Eller, Jansen Harkins, Matt Nieto, and Reilly Smith, defensemen Ryan Graves, Erik Karlsson, and Ryan Shea, and goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic are looking to make their Penguins debuts tonight.

Erik Karlsson has points in four-consecutive games against Chicago (2G-4A) and has 17 points (2G-17A) in 21 career games against the Blackhawks.

Pittsburgh is 30-15-10 all-time in home openers (first home game of the season), including a 7-2-1 mark in its last 10 games.

Head Coach Mike Sullivan (2015-Present) begins his ninth season behind the bench in Pittsburgh. The only NHL coach that has a longer tenure with their team is Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper, whose first season with the Lightning came in 2012.13.

Forward Reilly Smith has 10 goals and 17 points (10G-7A) in 22 career games against the Chicago Blackhawks. Smith’s teams are 8-0-1 in games when he scores against Chicago.  

The 2023.24 season marks the 19th season that Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will don the black and gold – the most by a one player in franchise history. His teammates, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are set to pass Hall-of-Famer Mario Lemieux for the second-most seasons with the team.

When the puck drops in tonight’s season opener, Pittsburgh’s long-standing core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang will surpass the New York Yankees’ Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and Jorge Posada (1995-2011) as the longest-tenured trio of teammates in NHL, MLB, NBA, and NFL history, having played in parts of 18 seasons together.