The Penguins wrap up their three-game trip on the west coast tonight with a matchup against a hot San Jose team.
Goaltender Tristan Jarry returned to the ice for light workouts yesterday while Casey DeSmith and Dustin Tokarski split reps on the ice. He’s missed 13 games since leaving the Winter Classic in January with a lower-body injury, but coach Mike Sullivan said “there’s a possibility” that Jarry could return to the team before tonight’s game, however, it seems unlikely he would see much playing time.
Injured defenseman Jan Rutta skated with the fourth line defense at practice yesterday, but he will not be activated in time for tonight’s game. Mark Friedman missed practice due to an upper-body injury and the team doesn’t anticipate that he’ll be ready by tonight.
Sullivan was asked if Jarry’s durability, or lack thereof, is a concern to him, especially due to his history of injuries. The coach showed optimism and said Jarry’s injuries this season were “unfortunate breaks.”
The Penguins ended their first half of the season with a 6-4 loss to San Jose on January 28th. Bryan Rust said the team hasn’t forgotten that loss and they’re entering tonight’s game with a chip on their shoulder.
Rust adds that the Penguins are aware of how San Jose can put opponents away quickly if they lose focus.
Rickard Rakell commented on the team’s abysmal performance Saturday night against the LA Kings. He said the best way to move forward is to have a short memory and focus on the next game.
The Penguins are fifth in the Metro division and currently hold the second Wild Card in the east, while the Sharks sit next-to-last in the Western Conference’s Pacific Division.
Airtime for tonight’s game is 9:30 on U92.5 FM and U92radio.com.
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