The Olympic break is over, and the Sidney Crosby fallout begins for the Pittsburgh Penguins (29-15-12), who return to action Thursday against Team USA hero Jack Hughes and the New Jersey Devils at PPG Paints Arena. <\/p>\n
The puck drops just after 7 p.m., and Mr. Jeff Jimmerson sings the Star Spangled Banner.<\/p>\n
The Penguins are a solid favorite in the game, as the FanDuel oddsmakers<\/a> have the Penguins at -154 on the moneyline. The oddsmakers also delivered additional bets for the Penguins game<\/a>, too.<\/p>\n The Penguins began the mad dash to the finish line with 26 games remaining and in a playoff spot by five points over the Columbus Blue Jackets (technically three points over the Washington Capitals, but Washington has played four more games). However, the Penguins will be without Crosby, their captain, for at least the next four weeks due to a lower-body injury suffered in the Olympics. <\/p>\n The Penguins won their last game, a 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres, but that was on Feb. 5. Avery Hayes made his NHL debut and scored a pair of goals, which lifted the team. Also in the win, rookie Ben Kindel had a pair of goals, and Tommy Novak tallied to complete the scoring. <\/p>\n Arturs Silovs stopped 25 of 27 shots in the win. Silovs also played in two games for Team Latvia, posting a 1-1-0 record. <\/p>\n Without Crosby, Penguins coach Dan Muse has reconfigured his top line for minimal interference with the rest of the team. Rickard Rakell moved to center with Hayes and Bryan Rust on the wings. <\/p>\n The Penguins also acquired Sam Girard (and a 2028 second-round pick) from the Colorado Avalanche for defenseman Brett Kulak Tuesday. Girard will likely make his Penguins\u2019 debut on the second pairing with Kris Letang, who was officially activated from injured reserve Wednesday. <\/p>\n This season, Girard has 12 points in 40 games, including three goals while skating on Colorado\u2019s third pairing. <\/p>\n New Jersey was able to shake off their rust with a home loss to Buffalo Wednesday night at the Prudential Center. Before the game, Hughes was honored for his gold medal winning peformance and game-winning goal, but made a point to include Buffalo forward Tage Thompson, who was also a key member of Team USA. <\/p>\n Buffalo beat New Jersey 2-1, furthering the lost New Jersey season. Only the New York Rangers have fewer points in the Eastern Conference, and New Jersey has the sixth-worst record in the NHL. <\/p>\n Penguins coach Dan Muse was favoring goalie Stuart Skinner before the Olympic break, so he is the likely starter Thursday. New Jersey goalie Jake Allen started Wednesday, so the Penguins will likely see Team Sweden goalie Jacob Markstrom between the pipes Thursday. <\/p>\n UPDATE: Arturs Silovs will start for the Penguins, per coach Dan Muse. <\/p>\n How to Watch<\/p>\n TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh<\/p>\n Radio: 105.9 The X<\/p>\n Expected Penguins Lines<\/p>\n Avery Hayes-Rickard Rakell-Bryan Rust<\/p>\n Egor Chinakhov-Tommy Novak-Evgeni Malkin<\/p>\n Anthony Mantha-Ben Kindel-Justin Brazeau<\/p>\n Connor Dewar-Blake Lizotte-Noel Acciari<\/p>\n Defense<\/p>\n Parker Wotherspoon-Erik Karlsson<\/p>\n Sam Girard-Kris Letang<\/p>\n Ryan Shea-Connor Clifton<\/p>\n Goalie: Arturs Silovs<\/p>\n Devils Lines<\/p>\n Timo Meier-Nico Hischier<\/a>-Dawson Mercer<\/p>\n Jesper Bratt \u2013Jack Hughes<\/a>\u00a0-Connor Brown<\/p>\n Arseny Gritsyuk-Cody Glass-Lenni Hameenaho<\/p>\n Paul Cotter-Nick Bjugstad-Maxim Tsyplakov<\/a><\/p>\n Defensemen<\/p>\n Brett Pesce-Johnathan Kovacevic<\/p>\n Jonas Siegenthaler-Dougie Hamilton<\/a><\/p>\n Brenden Dillon-Simon Nemec<\/p>\n Goalie: Jacob Markstrom, likely<\/p>\n Special Teams<\/p>\n Penguins power play: 25.9%, 4th. Penguins penalty kill: 84%, 4th.<\/p>\n Devils power play: 20.5%, 15th. Devils penalty kill: 79.5%, 16th. <\/p>\n Penguins Game Notes<\/p>\n The Devils have played well in Pittsburgh. The Penguins are only 6-5-2 in their last 13 home games versus the Devils. However, the Penguins have points in eight of their last 10 home games with a 6-2-2 record.<\/p>\n From the holiday break to the Olympic break, the Penguins went 14-3-3. <\/p>\n Ben Kindel has four goals in his last games, and no player scored more goals in the 11 days from Jan. 25 to the Olympic break on Feb. 5. <\/p>\n Evgeni Malkin has an eight-game home scoring streak (2-7-9). <\/p>\n Penguins winger Egor Chinakhov was absent from practice Wednesday following the birth of his first child. <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTags: devils game<\/a> devils lines<\/a> new jersey devils<\/a> Penguins lines<\/a> penguins notes<\/a> Penguins starting goalie<\/a> Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> <\/p>\n