The Penguins finally get back to game action tonight when they visit the Red Wings in Detroit. The Pens last played on Saturday night, when they beat Calgary.
Off to a 2-1 start and having won back-to-back games on Friday against the Capitals and Saturday against the Flames, coach Mike Sullivan is working to find the best combinations of personnel both in his lines and on defense. He says the Penguins players have done a good job of recognizing the roles each of them is called upon to perform.
Sullivan says the idea that elite defensemen Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang will be on the ice a combined eighty percent of any given game has played out early in the season, and that requires coaching strategies for the other defensemen, to be sure they are involved.
The Penguins front office was busy yesterday. GM Kyle Dubas traded defenseman Mark Friedman and forward Ty Glover to Vancouver for defenseman Jack Rathbone and forward Karel Plasek. Like Friedman with the Pens, Rathbone has shuffled back and forth between the NHL and the AHL. He’ll skate for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Plasek has not played with a team yet this season. He’s been assigned to the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL. Friedman was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Glover was with Wheeling but had not played yet this season.
Defenseman Libor Hajek has signed with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He was in Penguins training camp on a professional tryout contract but was released when the final cuts were announced.
Faceoff for the Penguins and Red Wings tonight is at 7:30. The airtime on 92.5 FM U92 is 6:30.
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