Pittsburgh Penguins Make Major Roster Move with 3-Player Transaction

The Pittsburgh Penguins (32-35-12) visit Newark to face the New Jersey Devils (41-30-7) in a Metropolitan Division game on Friday at 7 p.m. EST.

Pittsburgh comes into the matchup off a dominating 5-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks, topped by a two-goal effort from Kevin Hayes.

The Penguins will seek to build on that momentum in New Jersey as they meet the Devils for the fourth time this year. Pittsburgh dominated the last meeting easily, winning 7-3 with Connor Dewar scoring two goals.

In a savage season marred by inconsistency, the Penguins still have firepower. Rickard Rakell has logged 34 goals and 33 assists, and Bryan Rust has been red-hot with six goals and six assists in his last 10 games.

The team has struggled within the division, where they have a 7-13-4 mark and a -47 goal differential. The Devils have been more consistent, going 14-7-3 in division play and holding a good 38-7-4 mark in games where they tally three or more goals.

Nico Hischier leads the way with 35 goals and 31 assists, with Timo Meier adding seven goals in his last 10 games.

In a bid to provide some depth to the roster, Penguins GM Kyle Dubas recalled three forwards from the AHL on an emergency basis: Emil Bemstrom, Vasily Ponomarev, and Valtteri Puustinen.

Their arrival brings new legs and potential scoring depth as Pittsburgh fights to finish strong in the season.

In the past 10 games, the Penguins are 4-4-2, scoring an average of 3.1 goals per contest, as the Devils have been 5-4-1, averaging 2.8 goals per game. Both teams are fairly healthy, with no serious injuries to report for tomorrow's game.