Penguins lineup tonight: Pittsburgh's projected lineup for game against San Jose Sharks | Nov 16, 2024

The Pittsburgh Penguins host the San Jose Sharks on Saturday, November 16 in the second half of back-to-back games for the Pens.

The Penguins side desperate for a win will look to address their three-game losing streak. Their most recent defeat came against the Columbus Blue Jackets (6-2) yesterday at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

Ahead of the Penguins' game against San Jose, here's what their projected lineup is expected to look like.

Penguins projected lines

Forwards

• Anthony Beauviller - Sidney Crosby - Rickard Rakell
• Michael Bunting - Evgeni Malkin - Bryan Rust
• Drew O'Connor - Samuel Poulin - Matthew Nieto
• Jesse Puljujarvi - Noel Acciari - Valtteri Puustinen

Pittsburgh has struggled this season and traded Lars Eller to the Washington Capitals.

"It's just going to provide opportunities for other guys to step up and play a more significant role, so we'll try to put guys in positions where we think we can set them up for success,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said about trading Eller, via NHL.com. “We'll go from there. We have some center depth where we can move guys in, and we'll do that along the way.

“Inevitably, as I always tell you guys, performance will ultimately be the dictator. So, it's going to provide opportunities for others for sure," he added.

Defenseman

• Matt Grzelcyk - Kris Letang
• Marcus Pettersson - Erik Karlsson
• Ryan Graves - Ryan Shea

The Penguins blue line has been an issue this season. Pittsburgh thought Karlsson would provide more offense to the backend but that hasn't been the case.

Goalies

• Alex Nedeljkovic
• Tristan Jarry

Nedeljkovic is expected to start on Saturday. The goalie is 2-3-2 with a 3.21 GAA and a .884 SV%. In his career against San Jose, he's 1-0-1 with a 2.48 GAA and a .924 SV%.

Penguins vs Sharks: Preview

Pittsburgh is set for the second game of a back-to-back which is always tough. The Penguins have struggled to score and keep pucks out of their net, and their 6-2 loss against the Sharks only added to their woes.

San Jose has struggled offensively this season, however, the Sharks should be able to pick up a big road win here. The Penguins will have tired legs and that will impact their offense as San Jose edges out the win.

Prediction: Sharks 3, Penguins 2.