Pittsburgh Penguins Face Off Against Tampa Bay Lightning Tonight

TAMPA, Fla. — The Pittsburgh Penguins visit the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight at 7:00 p.m. EST for a pivotal matchup in the NHL season. Currently, the Penguins sit in fifth place in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 12-7-5, while the Lightning lead the Atlantic Division with a 16-8-2 record.

The game will be broadcast locally on Sportsnet Pittsburgh and The Spot, as well as streaming on ESPN+. Fans can also catch the play-by-play on radio stations 105.9 The X and 102.5 The Bone.

Both teams are looking to rebound from their recent performances. The Penguins secured a dominant 5-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers last Wednesday and have won three of their last four games. On the other hand, the Lightning’s seven-game winning streak was snapped following a narrow 2-1 loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday.

“We need to focus on our execution tonight,” said Lightning defenseman J.J. Moser. “There’s more out there, and we want to get back on track.”

This matchup marks the first of three meetings between the two teams this season. They will face each other again on January 13th in Pittsburgh and complete the series on April 2nd in Tampa.

The Penguins are known for their strong power play, currently ranked first in the NHL at 33.3%. In contrast, the Lightning have struggled with their power play, sitting 24th in efficiency at 16.3%. The contest is expected to be a significant test for both teams, particularly for Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry as he confronts the Lightning’s powerful offense.

Tampa Bay boasts top talent including Nikita Kucherov and Anthony Cirelli, while the Penguins feature star players Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. As the season progresses, both squads are aiming to secure their positions ahead of the playoffs.

“Every game is important,” said Penguins forward Jake Guentzel. “We need to treat this one like a playoff game.”