The Pittsburgh Penguins are digging themselves into a deeper hole game after game. Even with franchise pieces Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin playing out of their minds, the team can’t find a way out of the league’s basement.

Rakell registered an assist and took two shots on goal in Saturday's 4-1 loss to Seattle. Rakell's helper came in the second period on linemate Sidney Crosby's lone goal of the contest for the Penguins.

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Rickard Rakell has eight goals and seven assists for 15 points in his last 14 games

As a matter of principle and strategy, this season’s Pittsburgh Penguins trade chatter has focused far more on the exit door than who or what might be the return.

The Pittsburgh Penguins continue their West Coast road trip with a game against the San Jose Sharks. Welcome back to NHL Predictions here on Last Word on Hockey!

Read the recent NHL news and rumors about Rickard Rakell for fantasy hockey. According to Josh Yohe of The Athletic, Pittsburgh Penguins left wing

Kevin Hayes, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Cody Glass and Anthony Beauvillier scored for the Penguins. Alex Nedeljkovic, fresh off making history by becoming the first goalie in NHL history to score a goal and record an assist in the same game on Friday in Buffalo, stopped 25 of 26 shots to earn the victory.

Pittsburgh Penguins forwards Evgeni Malkin and Matt Nieto each suffered injuries during a 4-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Beyond a posting on one of the team’s social media accounts acknowledging Malkin’s ailment,

SEATTLE (AP) — Vince Dunn scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period, and Eeli Tolvanen and Matty Beniers both scored in the third as the Seattle Kraken beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 on Saturday. Dunn’s goal came on a 5-on-3 power play and broke a 1-1 tie.

The game at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle begins at 1 p.m. PT. It will be broadcast on KONG. KONG is available for streaming through DirecTV Stream and Fubo, as well as via antenna, cable, and satellite. The game will also be broadcast on the Kraken Hockey Network. Pregame coverage begins at 12:30 p.m.

BOTTOM LINE: The San Jose Sharks will try to stop their six-game skid when they take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. San Jose is 14-32-6 overall and 8-16-1 in home games. The Sharks have allowed 191 goals while scoring 137 for a -54 scoring differential.

Pittsburgh Penguins (20-22-8 ... Bryan Rust has 19 goals and 19 assists for the Penguins. Rickard Rakell has five goals and four assists over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Kraken: 4-6-0 ...