PREVIEW: Oilers at Penguins

Tristan Jarry will make his return to Pittsburgh for the first time with the Edmonton Oilers, while Leon Draisaitl will be searching for his 1,000th career point on Tuesday night when they visit PPG Paints Arena to face off against former teammates Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

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PREVIEW: Oilers at Penguins

PITTSBURGH, PA – History awaits in Tuesday night’s puck drop against the Penguins.

Oftentimes, a Tuesday night hockey game in December can be one that many people will look forward to watching after a day's work, before it's chalked up as another checkmark on the calendar over a long 82-game NHL regular season.

But when the Oilers face the Penguins this Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena, history is waiting to be written for Leon Draisaitl and Sidney Crosby, while there's plenty of extra intrigue for the likes of Tristan Jarry, Stuart Skinner and Brett Kulak following this past Friday's trade between the two clubs.

Both Draisaitl and Crosby are knocking on the doorstep of major career milestones. The Oilers alternate captain is only one point away from 1,000 NHL points, and the Penguins captain is just two points away from tying Mario Lemieux's franchise-leading scoring record of 1,723 points.

In both creases, it'll be an interesting night filled with emotions for both Jarry and Skinner, who'll play their former teams for the first time just days after being traded for one another, while Kulak was also part of the deal going back to Pittsburgh and will be on the blue line for the first time for the Penguins.

The Oilers also called up forward Quinn Hutson from the AHL's Bakersfield Condors on Monday after leading the AHL in goals from rookies with 16 this season, along with 12 assists for 28 points through 24 games. Hutson leads the Condors in scoring and sits three points behind the league leader.

Let's dive into Tuesday's storylines:

Familiar Faces in New Places

Tuesday's game will carry a weight of familiarity after Friday morning's trade between the Penguins and Oilers, in which Stuart Skinner and Brett Kulak, along with a 2029 second-round pick, were traded to Pittsburgh in exchange for Tristan Jarry and Samuel Poulin.

Jarry is expected to make his second start for the Oilers in the building where he spent nine full seasons with the Penguins after making 25 saves in his Oilers debut on Saturday night in a 6-3 win over the Maple Leafs.

"I think as the game goes on, it's a lot of the same game, but just a different place with a different uniform," Jarry reflected after his first Oilers win. "I think that's the biggest thing, just trying to settle in as quickly as possible and play my game and just kind of be sound for them."

Jarry played over 300 games for the Penguins, posting a 161-100-32 record, and will step into a familiar crease on Tuesday in Pittsburgh – this time starting at the opposite end for the franchise he was drafted in the second round (44th overall) in 2013 as a member of the WHL's Edmonton Oil Kings.

"It's obviously a lot of emotions", Jarry said when asked about the trade. "You never really think that this would happen, and you're obviously shocked when it does. The last game I played was in Pittsburgh, so you never really think that's going to end. But to be here and to be a part of this group is special."

Jarry left Pittsburgh after posting a 9-3-1 record with a 2.66 GAA and a .909 save percentage this season.

Stuart Skinner is expected to have the same experience as Jarry on Tuesday night by getting the start against the Oilers, after both he and Kulak were added to their active roster Monday morning after immigration issues delayed their arrival in Pittsburgh.

It will mark both Skinner and Kulak's first game as Penguins as they face their hometown teams, as well as the side they played important roles with over back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals in 2024 & 2025.

Skinner, who played nearly 200 games for the Edmonton Oilers over the course of six seasons, brings a regular-season record of 109-62-18 and a .904 save percentage, along with 26 career playoff victories, to the Penguins' crease. His teammate Kulak never missed a game during his time with the Oilers, skating in 370 consecutive regular-season and playoff games for Edmonton since being acquired from Montreal at the 2022 Trade Deadline.

Kulak recorded 15 goals and 56 assists with the Oilers and is one helper away from reaching 100 for his career.

Milestone Moments

After being held off the scoresheet in the Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Canadiens, Leon Draisaitl needs just one point to reach the 1,000-point milestone.

Draisaitl had three primary assists in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Maple Leafs and is looking to become the fifth player in Oilers franchise history to rwach the milestone, and earn the honour of bein g the first-ever German-born player to accomplish the feat in League history.

When Draisaitl was asked about the milestone following practice at the Downtown Community Arena in Edmonton last week, he emphasized how much the accomplishment means to him.

"It's certainly something that I never thought would be possible; something that was only truly a dream," the 30-year-old forward admitted. "To be closing in on that and hopefully be able to achieve that in the near future is something that is hard to explain. Obviously, there are a lot of people who help along the way. A lot of people who understand who you are and want the best for you. I'm excited."

After being drafted third overall by the Oilers at the 2014 NHL Draft, Draisaitl has 416 goals and 583 assists in 823 games with the club.

"I'm certainly going to try to enjoy it, but I think that's certainly something that comes after the game and potentially years later."

Similar to Draisaitl, Sidney Crosby was held without a point in the Penguins' last game that resulted in a 5-4 overtime loss against the Utah Mammoth. The Pittsburgh captain is currently sitting at 34 points this season with 19 goals and 15 assists, bringing his career total to 644 goals, 1077 assists and of course, just two points away from the 1,723-point Penguins' scoring record held by Mario Lemieux.

The Penguins wrap up their five-game homestand against the Oilers on Tuesday night and look to pull themselves out of a current five-game drought that's given them a 0-1-4 record.