The ABC Saturday afternoon hockey schedule continues this week with a possible Stanley Cup Closing matchup as Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche host Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins, with protection starting at 3 p.m. ET and simulcast on ESPN+.
To assist get you prepared for the sport, we have put collectively a information on all the important thing gamers to look at for every workforce, together with in-depth statistical insights from ESPN Stats & Info, and extra.
This season, ESPN+ will broadcast 75 unique regular-season video games, with ABC and ESPN airing a mixed 28 unique regular-season video games for a complete of 103 video games. The complete broadcast schedule can be found here.
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3 p.m. ET | Watch live on ESPN+
Line: Colorado -140 | Over/beneath: 6
Penguins
ESPN Power Rankings: 6
Main scorer: Sidney Crosby, 71 factors in 57 video games
2021-22 report: 41-18-10, third in Metro division
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The Penguins’ 22 highway wins are tied for fourth-most in a single season in franchise historical past and are two away from tying the membership report set in 1992-93 (24-15-3) and tied in 2010-11 (24-11-6). Pittsburgh and Washington entered Friday tied for the very best highway purpose differential this season at +26.
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Pittsburgh has scored a power-play purpose in every of the previous six video games and is scoring on 37.5% of its possibilities (9-for-24). The Pens’ penalty kill has been robust all season, posting the second-best fee within the NHL at 85.6% behind solely the Hurricanes (88.5%). It could be the workforce’s fourth-best fee in a single season because the stat was first tracked in 1977-78.
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Sidney Crosby obtained going beginning on Nov. 27 with a three-point recreation towards Montreal and hasn’t stopped since. His 68 factors since Nov. 27 are tied with Johnny Gaudreau for third-most in that span and trails solely Jonathan Huberdeau (74) and Auston Matthews (69). If Crosby finishes the season averaging 1.00 factors per recreation, he’ll tie Gordie Howe for the second-most such seasons all time with 17, trailing solely Wayne Gretzky (19 seasons).
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Kris Letang‘s 59 factors are fifth-most amongst defensemen this season. His subsequent level will give him the second 60-point season of his profession (67 in 2015-16) and he would be a part of Mark Giordano in 2018-19 as the one defensemen age 34 or older prior to now 10 seasons with a 60-point marketing campaign.
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Evgeni Malkin has some extent in six straight video games. His 17 targets since making his season debut on Jan. 11 are second on the Penguins in that span, trailing solely Crosby’s 20. Malkin scored the game-winning purpose in OT on Thursday, his 78th recreation winner of his profession, which tied Jaromir Jagr for many in franchise historical past.
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Rickard Rakell got here to the Penguins through a trade-deadline cope with the Geese, and has three targets and 5 factors in six video games in Pittsburgh. Rakell’s 19 targets this season leaves him one shy of his first 20-goal season since 2017-18 (34 with Anaheim). Final season, the Pens added Jeff Carter on the deadline and he scored 9 targets in 14 video games after the deal.
Avalanche
ESPN Power Rankings: 1
Main scorer: Nazem Kadri, 83 factors in 65 video games
2021-22 report: 48-14-6, first in Central division
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Colorado has scored a power-play purpose in every of its previous 9 video games, tied for the second-longest streak within the NHL this season with Toronto from Dec. 4 to Jan. 8, and one shy of tying the longest streak within the league this season (Edmonton: 10 from Oct. 13 to Nov. 5). The Avs transformed 37% of their energy performs in March (17-for-46), highest fee within the NHL, elevating their season fee to 25.4%, which is fifth-best within the NHL. Equally robust recently has been their penalty kill, clicking at a league-best 90.6% since March 10 (killed 29-of-32 opposing energy performs).
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The Avalanche have 5 gamers averaging higher than 1.00 factors per recreation this season: Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Nazem Kadri, Cale Makar and Gabriel Landeskog. No workforce has performed that (min. 50 GP) in a season because the 1995-96 Penguins had six with Ron Francis, Jagr, Mario Lemieux, Petr Nedved, Tomas Sandstrom and Sergei Zubov.
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The Avalanche’s actual struggles come within the faceoff circle, rating thirty first at 46.9% and forward of solely the Sabres (46.1%). Their defensive zone win share additionally ranks thirty first, at 45.8%, forward of solely the Rangers (45.3%).
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Cale Makar leads all defensemen with 24 targets and already has the Avalanche single-season report for defenseman targets. His subsequent help will tie Ray Bourque (52) in 2000-01 for second-most by a defenseman in a single season in workforce historical past, and go away him solely behind Steve Duchesne (62) in 1992-93 (for the Quebec Nordiques). Makar’s 75 factors are second amongst defensemen this season behind Roman Josi‘s 81. They’re second-most in a single season in Avs historical past and are seven away from tying Duchesne’s report of 82 in that 1992-93 marketing campaign.
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Nazem Kadri leads the Avs in scoring with 83 factors, which is 22 greater than he ever scored beforehand in a season in his profession. His 83 factors are at the moment second-most amongst gamers who can grow to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason (Johnny Gaudreau of the Flames has 91).
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If Nathan MacKinnon maintains a 1.30 PPG common for this season, it is going to be the fourth time he is performed so in his profession, which might tie him with Alex Ovechkin for the third-most such seasons within the wage cap period (since 2005-06) and path Connor McDavid (6) and Crosby (5, together with this season).
