The Penguins come home Saturday with a little momentum, a Hall of Fame ceremony on deck, and Sergei Murashov back in goal after his latest heavy-lift performance.
Pittsburgh, now 7-10-2, will host the Ottawa Senators at PPG Paints Arena after taking two of three on its West Coast trip. The puck drops just after 7 p.m., with Mr.
Jeff Jimerson set to sing the National Anthem. Before the game, the Penguins will induct Marc-Andre Fleury, Larry Murphy, Jim Rutherford, and Jack McGregor into the team’s Hall of Fame.
Murashov is getting the start after stealing the spotlight in San Jose. The Penguins beat the Sharks 3-2 in a shootout Wednesday, and the rookie goalie had to survive a chaotic finish to get there.
Pittsburgh led 1-0 after a first period in which Sam Girard blasted a slap shot for what was essentially a power-play goal seconds after the man-advantage expired. Ben Kindel then pushed the lead to 2-0 early in the third with a rebound goal on the power play.
San Jose refused to go away. Macklin Celebrini scored, then later helped set up Mason Marchment for the tying goal late in the third to force overtime.
Murashov answered with a string of big stops, including Sam Dickinson’s breakaway in overtime, and finished with 34 saves on 36 shots. He also turned aside all three shootout attempts, while Kindel supplied the only shootout goal for Pittsburgh.
Coach Dan Muse said Murashov will start again Saturday.
Ottawa arrives off its own comeback win, a 4-3 overtime decision against Colorado on Thursday. Shane Pinto scored twice, Tim Stützle added a first-period goal, and Drake Batherson tied it late in regulation before Pinto finished the job 2:08 into overtime.
Linus Ullmark returned from a lower-body injury and made 26 saves in that game, and he’ll likely be back in net against the Penguins. In his career, Ullmark is 8-0-1 against Pittsburgh with a .926 save percentage.
Pittsburgh’s lineup is shifting again. Rutger McGroarty stays in, while Ville Koivunen is most likely the healthy scratch. The Penguins also sent Ilya Solovyov to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, a move that clears room to activate defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk, who has practiced with the club.
The forward groups for Pittsburgh line up as Rickard Rakell with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, Tommy Novak with Ben Kindel and Egor Chinakhov, Nick Robertson with Hendrix Lapierre and Justin Brazeau, and Connor Dewar with Blake Lizotte and Rutger McGroarty.
On defense, the Penguins are set with Spencer Stastney and Erik Karlsson, Sam Girard and Kaedan Korczak, and Declan Carlile and Kris Letang. Murashov is confirmed in goal.
Ottawa’s expected lines feature Fabian Zetterlund, Tim Stützle, and Dylan Cozens on the top unit, followed by Philip Tomasino, Shane Pinto, and Drake Batherson; Michael Amadio, Ridly Greig, and Claude Giroux; and Sammy Blais, Stephen Halliday, and Hayden Hodgson. The Senators’ defense pairs Jake Sanderson with Artem Zub, Thomas Chabot with Jordan Spence, and Tyler Kleven with Nikolas Matinpalo. Ullmark is expected to start.
Special teams give Pittsburgh the edge on paper. The Penguins’ power play sits at 21.1%, 19th in the league, and their penalty kill is at 78.8%, 12th.
Ottawa’s power play is 11.8%, 31st, and its penalty kill is 75.0%, 21st. Radio coverage is on 105.9 The X.
In Other News...
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The Penguins blue line has become part of a larger trade conversation as teams around the league look for help, and Erik Karlsson keeps surfacing as one of the more intriguing names. Toronto would like to add a defenseman but is boxed in by the salary cap, which makes any move complicated unless it can clear money first. For Pittsburgh, that keeps Karlsson in the middle of a market that is still trying to sort out who can actually afford to do business.
Among the clubs kicking tires, Carolina has been tied most closely to Karlsson, which is enough to keep the rumor mill humming in Pittsburgh. But any path forward is not as simple as a team deciding it wants him and calling it a day, because the veteran defenseman still has say in where he goes. Until that part of the equation is settled, the interest around him remains just that - interest. [Read more 🡒]
WBS Penguins Let Rivalry Milestone Slip Away In Brutal Collapse
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Hershey finished the rally in overtime to steal a 4-3 victory, leaving the Penguins to sort through a collapse that will sting for a while. Taylor Gauthier was busy throughout the night, and Cal Petersen held up his end for the Bears as they found a way to turn a milestone game into a memorable comeback, one Wilkes-Barre/Scranton would have liked to close out much differently. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Practice Sent A Clear Message About A Roster Shakeup
Dan Muse used practice to reshuffle the Penguins lines, and the message from the morning skate was hard to miss. Rookie Sergei Murashov was being singled out as having secured a roster spot, giving the club a little clarity at a time when the lineup has been in flux and every adjustment feels like it carries a little extra weight.
Elsewhere on the ice, Bryan Rust and Elmer Soderblom were both on injured ice before practice, with Rust skating but not at full intensity. The broader picture around the Penguins is still changing too, with trade chatter continuing to swirl around Erik Karlsson and other names around the league, leaving the roster conversation very much alive even as one young player appears to have carved out his place. [Read more 🡒]