Pittsburgh is 0-1-2 in its last three games.
Sean Monahan to miss 'some time' with wrist injury
The Pittsburgh Penguins (17-17-7) have been trending sideways since the holiday break ended. They have just one win in five games but have lost only two of those five in regulation. The Penguins remain in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race and are one of four teams with 40 or 41 points.
Kirill Marchenko and Kent Johnson scored in the shootout and the Columbus Blue Jackets rallied to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 on Tuesday night.
Merzlikins made 29 saves in a 6-2 win over Seattle on Thursday. Merzlikins has won three consecutive games, and he's 6-1-1 in his last eight games. He allowed five goals in those two losses, and two or fewer in just three games.
The Blue Jackets and Penguins play for the second time this season. The next two games, however, will be in a house of horrors for Columbus.
The Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Chris Boswell and safety Miles Killebrew earned Players' All-Pro honors for their contributions in 2024.
Adam Fantilli(8), and Mathieu Olivier(10), provided the offense for the high-powered Blue Jackets, and Elvis Merzļikins stopped 29 of 33 Blues shots in the Columbus win. This game was pretty ho-hum until the third period.