After losing 4-0 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday, the Pittsburgh Penguins will have the chance to redeem themselves Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
But they will be short a few players.
After Tuesday’s morning skate, Penguins head coach announced that forward Tommy Novak and defenseman Ryan Shea will be out for Tuesday’s game. Shea is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury, while Novak – acquired Mar. 5 from the Nashville Predators – is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
Novak was injured during Sunday’s 3-1 win against the Minnesota Wild, which is a win the Penguins hope to build on.
Goaltender Tristan Jarry was the netminder of record in Sunday’s win – he was spectacular, stopping 29 of 30 Wild shots – and he earns his second consecutive start. Recently acquired defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok – claimed off waivers during the 4 Nations Face-off break – will take Shea’s spot on the top pairing next to Kris Letang, while newly acquired Connor Dewar will slot in Novak’s place to the left of Evgeni Malkin.
Sullivan said the coaching staff likes what it has seen from Kolyachonok’s game so far, pointing out his skating, mobility, ability to close on players defensively, and his physicality.
“Given all of those observations that we’ve had of him up to this point,” Sullivan said. “We’re going to give him an opportunity to play up in the lineup, but he has a lot of qualities that we’re excited about. He’s a young defenseman that’s trying to establish himself in the league, and it’s our job to help him get there. I think Kris is a guy that could potentially be a great mentor for him.”
Here is the rest of the Penguins’ lineup:
Vegas is 7-3 in its last 10 games and, most recently, dropped a 6-5 contest to the Los Angeles Kings. They still occupy the first spot in the Pacific Division, as they are four points ahead of the Edmonton Oilers and seven points in front of the Kings.
Jack Eichel leads the way for Vegas with 20 goals and 77 points in 62 games, including a goal and eight points in his last five. He registered an assist in Vegas’s win over Pittsburgh on Friday.
Penguins forward Rickard Rakell enters Tuesday’s game just one goal short of 30 on the season, while captain Sidney Crosby is just three assists shy of clinching the 12th 50-assist season…