The Penguins fail to stay hot in California, getting outclassed in a 5-1 loss against the Ducks in Anaheim on Thursday.

The Pittsburgh Penguins suffered a critical loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night, dropping further down the NHL standings.

It won’t be the best matchup when the Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks meet on Thursday night. Both teams are in seventh in their respective divisions, with the Penguins heading for a rebuild and the Ducks still trying to emerge from their lengthy quest to be contenders.

It was a tough night for the Penguins on Thursday in Anaheim. Not only were they unable to carry over the momentum from Monday’s win over Los Angeles – they lost winger Bryan Rust late in the second period.

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust suffered an undisclosed injury and prematurely exited a 5-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. on Thursday. Aside from a posting on one of the team’s social media accounts acknowledging the ailment,

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks are both hoping to turn their seasons around. Neither team was a playoff team last year, and they're not off to a good start this year. Pittsburgh came ...

The Penguins, looking to rebound from their previous loss on Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks (5-1), faced a determined Seattle Kraken squad on Saturday, January 25th, at Climate Pledge Arena.

The Pittsburgh Penguins can reach a .500 record if they are able to defeat a struggling Anaheim Ducks team Thursday, who've lost 7 of their last 8 games.

BOTTOM LINE: The Anaheim Ducks look to break their four-game skid when they play the Pittsburgh Penguins. Anaheim has an 18-23-6 record overall and a 9-12-2 record in home games. The Ducks have gone 7-11-4 in games they have more penalties than their opponent.

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ decision to weld Kris Letang with Marcus Pettersson on a defensive pairing in recent weeks wasn’t necessarily rooted in a sense of familiarity between the two long-time teammates.

John Gibson made nine saves before leaving after the first period with an upper-body injury. Lukas Dostal replaced him and made 31 saves for Anaheim, which ended a four-game losing streak with a 5-1 win against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.