PENS PRACTICE AS FIVE MORE PLAYERS ADDED TO COVID PROTOCOL LIST

The Penguins were back on the ice at Cranberry yesterday for the first time since early last week, but they are still not entirely sure when they will play an actual game again.  They are scheduled to play at Ottawa on Friday afternoon, but the NHL will have to make a determination as to whether or not the Canadian government will let U.S. teams cross the border, and the league must also decide if the teams will have enough players.

Five more Penguins joined Evan Rodrigues on the Penguins’ covid protocol list yesterday…goaltender Tristan Jarry, forwards Teddy Blueger and Dominik Simon, and defensemen John Marino and Mike Matheson.  Forward Jake Guentzel missed practice because of non-covid illness and forward Jason Zucker is out and termed “week to week” with an undisclosed injury.

The good news is that injured forwards Bryan Rust and Geno Malkin were both full-contact practice participants.  Rust has missed the last eleven games with an undisclosed injury.  Malkin has missed the entire season so far recovering from June knee surgery.  Coach Mike Sullivan said Rust is a possible “go” for Friday but Malkin’s return would be an “aggressive” approach and the Penguins would rather not do that.  Sullivan also said that “for the most part”, all of the covid-listed players are doing well, with some experiencing minor symptoms.

The Penguins have won six straight games.  Sullivan says they will work hard this week to regain the momentum they had before the league shut down last week.

Sullivan says the Pens have built an identity that incorporates each players’ strengths, and the players know their role in the team chemistry.

The Penguins have not announced who will be in their six-man taxi squad, which the league has re-instituted.  Sullivan says that with another western road trip coming up, they will need to work out the logistics of carrying the extra players once they arrive.  After four games on the East Coast, they start a five-game trip with stops in Dallas, Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose, and Las Vegas.