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Get your game notes: Ducks at Penguins

Evgeni Malkin

Pittsburgh Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin (71) sits on the bench in the third period of Game 2 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Bruins in Pittsburgh Monday, June 3, 2013. The Bruins won 6-1. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

AP

Tonight on NBCSN, it’s the Pittsburgh Penguins hosting the Anaheim Ducks starting at 7:30 p.m. ET. Following are some game notes, as compiled by the NHL on NBC research team:

• Two former 50-goal scorers who are meeting in tonight’s game are enduring lengthy goal droughts. The Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin has gone a career-high 13 games without a goal (last goal: Oct. 17), while the Ducks’ Teemu Selanne has gone 10 games (last goal: Oct. 20). The only other NHL player with a 50-goal season who has a goal drought of 10+ games in 2013-14 is the Wild’s Dany Heatley (10 games).

• Since the Consol Energy Center opened in Pittsburgh before the 2010-11 season, the Penguins have the most home wins of any team in the NHL, with 80. The Ducks are one of only four teams (Sharks, Wild, Blues) that the Penguins have not defeated at home during that span. (Note: each of the four unbeaten teams has played one game.)

• Despite their solid 7-5-2 record away from the Honda Center this season, the Ducks’ special teams rank worst in the NHL in both road power-play and road penalty-kill categories. They have converted only three of 46 power-play opportunities (6.5%), and stopped only 29 of their opposition’s 44 opportunities (65.9%). They have scored a PPG in three of 14 games, but allowed a PPG in 11 of 14.

• Since the 2011-12 season, Malkin has assisted on 42 goals by James Neal. No NHL player has set up a particular teammate’s goals more often during that span. (Elias Sports Bureau)

• Three Ducks players, Francois Beauchemin (+17), Dustin Penner (+15) and Hampus Lindholm (+14) are currently ranked 1-2-3 in the NHL in plus/minus rating. This season, Penner has been on the ice for 25 “goals-for” for the Ducks (20 even-strength, five power-play), and only five “goals-against.”

• In 11 home games this season, the Penguins have killed off 21 of 23 power-play opportunities (91.3%), the third-best home-ice penalty-kill efficiency in the NHL. In the two games where the Pens allowed a PPG this season, they lost (Oct. 25 vs. N.Y. Islanders and Nov. 13 vs. Philadelphia). The last time they allowed a PPG but won the game was Mar. 24, 2013, vs. Philadelphia.

• The Penguins’ Dan Bylsma (213-100-25, .667 points percentage) and the Ducks’ Bruce Boudreau (273-128-56, .659 points percentage) rank 1-2 among all active head coaches in points percentage (minimum 20 games).

• Tonight, the Penguins’ Jussi Jokinen is slated to become the 19th Finnish-born player (18 skaters, one goaltender – Miikka Kiprusoff) to suit up in 600 NHL games. Two current Ducks players, Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu, as well as a one-time Duck, Hockey Hall of Famer Jari Kurri, are among six Finns who have played in at least 1,000 NHL games.