CRANBERRY TWP., Pa. - The Penguins’ Friday practice came with a clear message: the blue gear was new, but the lineup from Thursday may not last.
Pittsburgh skated in blue as the team began working toward the coming Hometown Remix jerseys, with navy blue pants, a wide blue stripe and yellow piping, plus matte navy helmets. Goalie Arturs Silovs also showed off new pads with sky-blue accents. The color change was easy to spot, even if the long-term look of the forward groups is still up in the air.
That uncertainty starts with Evgeni Malkin, who was absent from practice because of illness, according to coach Dan Muse. Sam Girard and Egor Chinakhov were also out and remain day-to-day. Muse did not say Malkin would be available Saturday against the Nashville Predators, though he also did not shut the door on it.
The bigger takeaway from Muse’s comments was that the combinations that worked Thursday night may not be locked in for long. After the Penguins were battered on their four-game road trip, Muse made it clear he viewed Thursday’s success less as the product of one special set of lines and more as a group that had to respond.
“I think you had a lot of pairs in there that have played together at different points. Maybe the lines have been a little different, but I don’t think it was (unique),” Muse said.
“I think even though it might be a small sample size in some cases, there was a little bit of time together for at least some of them. I think it’s also where we’re at.
I think these guys are hungry to get things on track, and so I think based on that road trip we just came off, I think you could have thrown any combination together, and these guys would have gone out there and played a really good game. I mean that.
And that’s a credit to them in this locker room for being ready and also not being happy with the current record and coming off of that trip.”
Thursday’s lineup included several fresh faces and returning players. Rutger McGroarty played his first game of the season, while Hendrix Lapierre re-entered the lineup after being a healthy scratch.
Those changes were partly forced, with Bryan Rust and Ben Kindel landing on injured reserve Thursday. Rust is expected to miss at least six weeks, while Kindel could begin skating as early as Sunday after his fainting episode on the team plane Tuesday.
The Penguins picked up only their second regulation win of the season Thursday, and it was their first in 10 games.
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