NBCSN’s coverage of the 2019-20 NHL season continues with Wednesday’s matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Los Angeles Kings. Coverage begins at 10:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. You can watch the game online and on the NBC Sports app by clicking here.
After falling at Washington on Sunday afternoon for its third straight regulation loss, the Penguins head west for a California swing that has them at Anaheim on Friday and San Jose on Saturday. Prior to dropping its last three, Pittsburgh had gone 16-4-2 since Dec. 27 and has closed the gap on the first-place Capitals in the Metro.
Patrick Marleau is now on his third team in three seasons after spending the first 19 seasons of his career with San Jose. The Sharks drafted him second overall in the 1997 Draft (after Boston selected Joe Thornton), which was held in Pittsburgh, before Marleau signed as a free agent with Toronto in July 2017. He spent two years with the Maple Leafs before the Sharks picked him back up in October when he was a free agent. With the Sharks near the bottom of the standings, Marleau is now back with a contender as he searches for that elusive Stanley Cup after losing to his new team in his only Cup Final appearance.
The Kings are on the other end of the spectrum, as they sit last in the West and will miss the playoffs for the second straight season and fourth time in the last six years. This comes after a run of five straight playoff appearances from 2010-2014, which included two Stanley Cup championships (2012, 2014).
After finishing last season with the second-worst record in the entire league and worst record in the Western Conference, the Kings have continued to struggle this season. They once again sit with the second-worst record in the league and last in the West as they look set to miss the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time in more than a decade.
[COVERAGE BEGINS AT 10:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN]
WHAT: Pittsburgh Penguins at Los Angeles Kings
WHERE: STAPLES Center
WHEN: Wednesday, Feb. 26, 10:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSN
LIVE STREAM: You can watch the Penguins-Kings stream on NBC Sports’ live stream page and the NBC Sports app.
PROJECTED LINEUPS
PENGUINS
Jason Zucker - Sidney Crosby - Conor Sheary
Bryan Rust - Evgeni Malkin - Patric Hornqvist
Patrick Marleau - Evan Rodrigues - Dominik Simon
Jared McCann - Teddy Blueger - Brandon Tanev
Jack Johnson - Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson - Justin Schultz
Juuso Riikola - Zach Trotman
Starting goalie: Tristan Jarry
KINGS
Adrian Kempe - Anze Kopitar - Dustin Brown
Alex Iafallo - Blake Lizotte - Trevor Lewis
Trevor Moore - Gabriel Vilardi - Martin Frk
Nikolai Prokhorkin - Mike Amadio - Austin Wagner
Joakim Ryan - Drew Doughty
Ben Hutton - Matt Roy
Kurtis MacDermid - Sean Walker
Starting goalie: Jonathan Quick
Kathryn Tappen will host Wednesday’s coverage on NHL Live alongside analysts Keith Jones and Patrick Sharp and NHL insider Bob McKenzie. Alex Faust and analyst Jim Fox will call the action at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, Calif.