Penguins vs. Hurricanes Scouting Report

SCOUTING REPORT

GAME NOTES

PLAYER PROFILES

Jeff Skinner
	C  -  #53   6 Goals   8 Assists   14 Points
• Was the youngest player in the NHL last year at 18-years-old, where he won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie with 31 goals and 32 assists in 82 games and was named to the NHL All-Star Team – becoming the youngest player ever to earn such an honor. • Has netted two game-winning goals already for the Hurricanes this season, Oct. 14 at Buffalo and Nov. 1 vs. Tampa Bay – matching his two game-winning tallies from a year ago. • Labeled as a natural goal scorer coming out of juniors, Skinner has used his small but compact frame (5-foot-10, 187 pounds) and speed to create scoring chances all over the ice by crashing the net and working the walls.
Jussi Jokinen
	LW  -  #36   3 Goals   6 Assists   9 Points
• Had a career year in 2009-10 after being acquired from Tampa Bay in a trade midway through the previous season with 30 goals and 65 points (30 G, 35 A) followed by 52 points (19G-33A) in 70 games in 2010 – he was rewarded with a three-year contract worth $9 million on June 30. • Returned to the lineup Friday against the Rangers after missing three games with a lower body injury, which was good news for the ‘Canes as Jokinen has scored in eight of the 13 games he’s played in. • Has played well against Pittsburgh – in four games against the Penguins last year, Jokinen registered six points (3G-3A) to lead all Carolina players.
Brandon Sutter
	C  -  #16   4 Goals   2 Assists 6 Points
• After signing a three-year $6.2 million contract July 13, the 22-year-old Sutter was named an alternate captain. • Gritty forward led all Hurricane forwards and tied for seventh in the league with 73 blocked shots in 2010-11 and currently paces Carolina with two shorthanded goals. • Carolina’s first-round pick (11th overall) in the 2007 NHL Draft, President and General Manager Jim Rutherford described Sutter as one of the “cornerstones” of the franchise moving forward.

• The Penguins enter tonight’s game with a league-leading 23 points.

• They also enter the contest with a perfect 5-0-2 record against the Western Conference this season.

• Dating back to a 2-1 overtime win against Los Angeles on Feb. 10 of last season, the Penguins are unbeaten in their last 13 games against Western Conference teams (9-0-4). Pittsburgh’s last regulation loss to a team from the West was a 4-1 setback against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Feb. 8, 2011 at CONSOL Energy Center.

• The Penguins enter tonight's game with a 5-2-2 road record. Their 12 road points are tied with the Florida Panthers for the most in the Eastern Conference. Dating back to a 6-5 shootout win at Toronto on Feb. 26 of last season the Penguins have gone 13-3-4 in their last 20 road games. During that stretch 11 of the 20 games have gone to overtime/shootout, with the Penguins going 7-4 in those games.

• The Penguins finished with a winning record against the Hurricanes last season (3-1) for the second time in the last three seasons (2-1-1 in '08-09). Pittsburgh is 6-3-3 against Carolina over the past three seasons, including a 3-1-2 mark at the RBC Center.

• James Neal (3G-4A) and Kris Letang (6A) each carry five-game point streaks into tonight’s game.

• After tallying a team-best (tied) 11 points (9G-2A) through the month of October, Neal has continued to stay hot with five points (2G-3A) in his first three games in November. Neal, who enters Saturday's game with a five-game point streak, leads Pittsburgh with 16 points (11G-5A) and ranks second in the NHL with 11 goals. Neal has been extremely consistent with his point production, tallying at least one point in 13 of the team’s 16 games.

• Penguins center Evgeni Malkin has 12 goals and 27 points in 20 career games against the Hurricanes. He has four goals this season -- all on the road.

INJURY REPORT

2010-11 STAT CHART

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