The Penguins are heading to Columbus on Thursday night with a preseason lineup built around opportunity.
Puck drop against the Blue Jackets is set for 7:00 PM ET at Nationwide Arena, and fans can listen on the Penguins’ flagship radio station, 105.9 “The X”.
Here’s the group the team announced for the game:
Forwards
2 - Rutger McGroarty
11 - Filip Hallander
13 - David Gustafsson
19 - Connor Dewar
23 - Bill Zonnon
25 - Elmer Soderblom
26 - Tristan Broz
34 - Liam Ruck
40 - Tanner Howe
41 - Ville Koivunen
70 - Mikhail Ilyin
80 - Markus Ruck
84 - Atley Calvert
85 - Avery Hayes
Defense
4 - Jake Livanavage
7 - Ilya Solovyov
27 - Ryan Graves
38 - Owen Pickering
44 - Chase Pietila
45 - Harrison Brunicke
82 - Caleb Jones
Goalies
1 - Sergei Murashov
39 - Collin Delia
The preseason wraps up Saturday in Buffalo, and the new NHL rule limiting veterans with 100-plus games to a maximum of two appearances explains why most of Pittsburgh’s bigger names are sitting out in Columbus. The expectation is that several of those players will show up again in the finale instead.
That also means Connor Dewar and Elmer Soderblom won’t be available for Saturday’s game if they dress again Thursday.
In goal, the starter hasn’t been officially announced, but Sergei Murashov could be in line for the full 60 minutes after Arturs Silovs handled that workload last night. Collin Delia is listed as the other option after joining the club on a pro tryout.
Beyond that, this looks like a night for players trying to move up the board. Avery Hayes and Rutger McGroarty are among the names with something to prove, and Ville Koivunen is back in the mix after missing his planned preseason debut because of injury.
That makes Thursday a useful measuring stick for the Penguins, with those younger and deeper roster options getting the chance to stack themselves directly against players like Dewar, Soderblom and Filip Hallander against the same opponent on the same night.
In Other News...
Penguins Camp Cuts Put Real Pressure On The Opening Night Battle
The first training camp cuts have already sharpened the picture in Pittsburgh, where the early roster move sends a clear signal that the Penguins are sorting through more than just bodies on the ice. Pittsburgh Hockey Now also projected the opening lineup and flagged that there could still be changes during the season, which is exactly the kind of uncertainty that hangs over a camp when the margin for error is thin.
For the players still in the mix, the next few days matter more now because the opening night battle is no longer a broad competition, it is becoming a test of who can hold a spot when the roster starts to settle. Around the league, there are other developments adding to the backdrop, from Columbus talking contract with Adam Fantilli to a few notable names surfacing on waivers, but in Pittsburgh the focus is much more immediate: who stays in the frame, and who gets pushed further down the depth chart. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Prospect Ben Kindel Faces A Bigger Setback Than Expected
Ben Kindels early push toward the season hit an unexpected roadblock almost immediately, as the Penguins center is now facing a more serious injury than the team first believed. The setback came in the first period of Pittsburghs opening preseason game, and what initially looked manageable has turned into a week-to-week recovery, a frustrating development for a prospect trying to make his mark in camp.
For an organization that has been trying to sharpen the path for its young players, the timing is less than ideal. Pittsburgh has spent plenty of time working through the logistics and growing pains in its minor league pipeline, including travel complications after its ECHL affiliate relocated, while also trying to build a more competitive development system. Kindels absence adds another variable to that process, and it leaves the Penguins waiting to see how long one of their prospects will be sidelined. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Opening Night Plans Already Face Another Lineup Problem
The Penguins are already having to juggle their opening-night picture after Ben Kindels status changed from day-to-day to week-to-week following an injury in the first period of a preseason game. Even before the regular season gets going, Pittsburgh is trying to sort through a lineup that has been nudged into motion by absences, with Filip Hallander, Connor Dewar and Elmer Soderblom skating together as a possible fourth line.
Blake Lizotte is also listed as week-to-week, which only adds to the uncertainty in the middle of the roster. Andrei Kuzmenko is away from the club for a family matter, leaving the Penguins with one more variable to manage as they continue shaping the early-season group and trying to hold the bottom of the lineup together. [Read more 🡒]