Pettersson notched an assist, four hits and three blocked shots in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Lightning.
Pettersson has three helpers and a plus-3 rating over his last three contests. The 28-year-old doesn't look to have lost a step since returning from a six-game absence due to a lower-body injury. The blueliner continues to provide modest offense and strong physicality in a top-four role. He has 16 points, 37 shots on net, 47 hits, 70 blocked shots, 23 PIM and a minus-1 rating over 39 appearances.
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Penguins' Bryan Rust: Slides helper in loss
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Rust recorded an assist, four shots on goal and two blocked shots in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Lightning.
Rust has earned a goal and five assists over six outings in January. The 32-year-old winger set up a Rickard Rakell tally in the first period of Sunday's defeat. Rust is up to 16 goals, 17 helpers, 102 shots on net, 35 hits, 34 blocked shots and a minus-20 rating over 38 appearances. The plus-minus rating is rough, but Rust does enough of everything else to stay useful in fantasy while seeing top-six minutes.
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Penguins' Sidney Crosby: Manages assist in loss
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Crosby registered a power-play assist, six shots on goal, two blocked shots and a minus-2 rating in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Lightning.
Crosby helped out on a Kevin Hayes goal in the third period. With two goals and five assists over six outings in January, Crosby continues to make an impact on offense even with the Penguins' depth mostly faltering this month. He's now at 12 goals, 36 helpers, 17 power-play points, 134 shots, 41 hits, 22 blocked shots and a minus-14 rating through 45 appearances this season. He has a reasonable chance to reach the 90-point mark for the third consecutive campaign, all at age 35 or older.
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Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Tallies on power play in loss
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Hayes scored a power-play goal on four shots and went minus-3 in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Lightning.
Hayes tied the game at 2-2 early in the third period, but the Penguins couldn't nurse the level score to overtime, as the Lightning scored three times in the last 3:03 for the win. This was Hayes' third goal in his last six games, and he's added 17 shots on in that span. For the season, the 32-year-old forward has contributed 10 points (five on the power play), 39 shots on net and a minus-14 rating over 28 appearances, mainly in a bottom-six role.
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Penguins' Rickard Rakell: Goal, assist in loss
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Rakell scored a goal on six shots, added a power-play assist and went minus-3 in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Lightning.
While the Penguins are starting to skid again, Rakell has stayed hot in January, earning five goals and two assists over his last six contests. The 31-year-old has added 20 shots on net in that span, though it comes with a minus-8 rating. The forward is up to 22 goals, 38 points (10 on the power play), 111 shots on net, 73 hits, 49 blocked shots and a minus-10 rating through 45 appearances this season.
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Penguins' Tristan Jarry: Poor showing in loss
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Jarry gave up three goals on 17 shots in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Lightning. The last two goals were empty-netters.
Jarry was awful in a tough matchup, as the Lightning ended up being opportunistic with limited chances. This was Jarry's fourth straight defeat (0-3-1), and he's allowed a total of 13 goals over five appearances in that span. For the season, the 29-year-old goalie dropped to 8-7-4 with a 3.32 GAA and an .888 save percentage over 21 appearances. Neither Jarry nor Alex Nedeljkovic has been good lately, so it's unclear who might get the start at home Tuesday versus the Kraken.
Jarry will patrol the home crease versus Tampa Bay on Sunday, per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports.
Jarry will get the second half of Pittsburgh's back-to-back after Alex Nedeljkovic started Saturday's 5-0 loss to Ottawa. The 29-year-old Jarry has posted a record of 8-6-4 with a 3.33 GAA and an .888 save percentage through 20 appearances this season. Tampa Bay ranks first in the league with 3.65 goals per game in 2024-25 and lost a 3-2 overtime decision versus New Jersey on Saturday.
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Penguins' Michael Bunting: Not playing Sunday
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Bunting (undisclosed) won't play against Tampa Bay on Sunday, according to Michelle Crechiolo of the Penguins' official site.
On Sunday, Bunting was involved in a car accident outside PPG Paints Arena. Coach Mike Sullivan told the media that Bunting is doing okay, but the 29-year-old forward will miss at least one game. Bunting has 13 goals, 25 points, 84 shots on net, 48 hits and 42 PIM through 43 appearances this season. Philip Tomasino (lower body) will replace Bunting in Sunday's lineup.
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Penguins' Evgeni Malkin: Moves to IR
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Malkin (upper body) was placed on inured reserve Sunday.
Pittsburgh activated Philip Tomasino (lower body) from the IR list in a corresponding move. Malkin will miss his fourth straight game versus Tampa Bay on Sunday. He has produced eight goals, 32 points, 71 shots on net, 29 blocked shots and 20 hits across 41 appearances this season. Malkin has been participating in practices, but it's unclear when he will be ready to return to the lineup.
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Penguins' Philip Tomasino: Activated Sunday
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Tomasino (lower body) was activated from injured reserve Sunday.
Tomasino will rejoin the Penguins after missing the minimum-requisite four games. The 23-year-old Tomasino has four goals and seven points in 16 contests this year. Evgeni Malkin was placed on IR in a corresponding move.
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Penguins' Tristan Jarry: Needed in relief against Sens
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Jarry stopped all five shots he faced after replacing Alex Nedeljkovic midway through the second period during Saturday's 5-0 loss to Ottawa.
The Senators took their foot off the gas over the final half of the game with a comfortable 5-0 lead, and Jarry wasn't really tested. The 29-year-old goalie hasn't won a game since Christmas, going 0-1-2 over his last four appearances, but his 2.73 GAA and .900 save percentage are superior to Nedeljkovic's recent work. The duo will likely work in a timeshare unless one of them can heat up and seize the top job.
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Penguins' Alex Nedeljkovic: Gets hook Saturday
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Nedeljkovic gave up five goals on 17 shots before being replaced by Tristan Jarry midway through the second period of Saturday's 5-0 loss to the Senators.
Nothing went right for Nedeljkovic on the afternoon -- Ottawa's first goal deflected in off Noel Acciari's stick, and two others came after the ref arguably should have blown the play dead. On the other hand, the 29-year-old netminder left his five-hole wide open on a Shane Pinto shorthanded tally late in the first period. Nedeljkovic has started five of the last seven games but hasn't done much with the opportunity, going 2-2-1 with a 3.83 GAA and .884 save percentage as the Penguins continue to search for some stability in net.
Nedeljkovic will patrol the home crease versus Ottawa on Saturday, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports.
Nedeljkovic will make his fifth start in the Penguins' last seven games after playing just once in the previous nine games. Nedeljkovic is 7-6-4 with a 3.21 GAA and an .891 save percentage across 18 appearances. Ottawa is 22nd in NHL scoring this season, averaging 2.85 goals per game.
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Penguins' Evgeni Malkin: Unavailable Saturday
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Malkin (upper body) isn't ready to return for Saturday's tilt against Ottawa, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports.
Malkin is set to miss his third straight game. He has eight goals and 32 points in 41 appearances in 2024-25. Malkin did skate Saturday morning, so perhaps there's still a chance of him drawing back into the lineup Sunday versus Tampa Bay.
Malkin (upper body) is still considered day-to-day ahead of a back-to-back set against the Senators and Lightning on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, Michelle Crechiolo of the Penguins' official site reports.
While Malkin has practiced for two straight days, he hasn't been a full participant during line rushes, which raises doubts regarding his availability heading into Saturday's tilt. Still, once the world-class center is given the green light, he should retake his spot on the second line while returning to the No. 2 power-play unit.
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Penguins' Jesse Puljujarvi: Snags helper in win
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Puljujarvi notched an assist and three hits in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Oilers.
Puljujarvi got on the scoresheet against his former team, securing his first point since a goal Nov. 19 versus the Lightning. The 26-year-old winger cleared waivers Dec. 31, so he is still vulnerable to be sent to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton until he plays 10 games or spends 30 days on the NHL roster. This season, he has a modest nine points with 35 shots on net, 33 hits and a minus-1 rating over 23 appearances in a bottom-six role.
