Columbus visits Pittsburgh on 4-game road slide

Columbus Blue Jackets (37-37-7, sixth in the Metropolitan) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (45-25-11, third in the Metropolitan)

Pittsburgh; Friday, 7 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Columbus visits Pittsburgh looking to stop its four-game road skid.

The Penguins are 27-16-6 in Eastern Conference games. Pittsburgh ranks 10th in the league averaging 5.7 assists per game, led by Sidney Crosby with 0.8.

The Blue Jackets are 9-16-0 against Metropolitan teams. Columbus ranks seventh in the Eastern Conference averaging 3.2 goals per game, led by Oliver Bjorkstrand with 27.

Pittsburgh took down Columbus 5-1 in the last meeting between these teams on March 22. Jake Guentzel scored two goals for the Penguins in the win.

TOP PERFORMERS: Crosby leads the Penguins with 84 points, scoring 31 goals and adding 53 assists. Guentzel has seven goals and six assists over the last 10 games for Pittsburgh.

Gabriel Carlsson leads the Blue Jackets with a plus-five in 37 games this season. Jack Roslovic has 13 points over the last 10 games for Columbus.

LAST 10 GAMES: Penguins: 4-5-1, averaging three goals, five assists, 3.4 penalties and 7.8 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game with a .929 save percentage.

Blue Jackets: 4-5-1, averaging three goals, 5.2 assists, 3.7 penalties and 7.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game with a .909 save percentage.

INJURIES: Penguins: Jason Zucker: day to day (undisclosed), Tristan Jarry: out (foot).

Blue Jackets: Nick Blankenburg: out (upper-body), Adam Boqvist: day to day (lower body), Joonas Korpisalo: out for season (hip), Patrik Laine: day to day (upper-body), Zach Werenski: out (nose).

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