Pittsburgh @ Columbus preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 24, 2018 ) Columbus 2, Pittsburgh 4

The Columbus Blue Jackets made quite the splash prior to the NHL trade deadline, following up the acquisitions of Matt Duchene and former Ohio State star Ryan Dzingel from Ottawa by adding defenseman Adam McQuaid and goaltender Keith Kinkaid. The new-look Blue Jackets bid to strengthen their hold on third place in the Metropolitan Division on Tuesday when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins.

"(McQuaid is) a big, strong, hard-playing guy and just adds so much depth to our team. It's been really fun to watch this team and watch Jarmo (Kekalainen, general manager) kind of push all-in here," Duchene told the Columbus Dispatch. The 32-year-old McQuaid, who was acquired for fellow defenseman Julius Bergman, and a fourth- and seventh-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, is expected to provide depth on the blue line and serve as potential insurance should Ryan Murray (upper body) be sidelined for an extended period of time. The Penguins know the value of healthy defensemen all too well, as Kris Letang (upper body) and Brian Dumoulin (concussion) were injured in Saturday night's 4-3 overtime loss to Philadelphia and have been ruled out against the Blue Jackets. "(Dumoulin and Letang) are two of the more important guys on this team and to lose them early like that wasn't easy, but I thought us four (remaining defensemen) did a good job," blue-liner Justin Schultz said.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet-Pittsburgh, FS Ohio (Columbus)

ABOUT THE PENGUINS (32-22-8): With Pittsburgh ailing along the blue line, it acquired defensemen Erik Gudbranson and Chris Wideman in separate deals on Monday with Vancouver and Florida, respectively. Gudbranson, who has collected two goals and six assists in 57 games with the Canucks this season, joins the fold after the Penguins parted ways with forward Tanner Pearson while Wideman was acquired for forward Jean-Sebastien Dea. Of course, a good offense can do wonders for a leaky defense, as superstar captain Sidney Crosby has recorded 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in his last eight games and fellow former Hart Trophy recipient Evgeni Malkin has five goals in his last five.

ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (35-23-3): Sergei Bobrovsky received NHL Third Star of the Week honors on Monday after becoming the first goaltender in franchise history to record a shutout on consecutive days and the second on any NHL team to do so this season (Vegas' Marc-Andre Fleury, Nov. 23-24). The two-time Vezina Trophy recipient, who is expected to test the market in the summer, turned aside 22 shots in a 3-0 win over the Ottawa on Friday and made 26 saves the following night in a 4-0 victory versus San Jose. "Keith Kinkaid is an experienced National Hockey League goaltender who will provide that depth as we move through the final month of the regular season and into the spring," Kekalainen said of the 29-year-old, who was acquired from New Jersey for a fifth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

OVERTIME

1. Pittsburgh C Jake Guentzel, who leads the team with 28 goals, registered his first career regular-season hat trick in a 4-2 win over Columbus on Nov. 24.

2. Duchene, who was acquired from the Senators, recorded his 19th multi-point performance of the season and first with his new team after scoring and setting up a goal against the Sharks.

3. Penguins G Matt Murray boasts an 11-2-2 mark with a 2.33 goals-against average and .933 save percentage in 16 road games this season.

PREDICTION: Blue Jackets 5, Penguins 2