The Penguins finally return to PPG Paints Arena tonight to play the Ottawa Senators, and coach Mike Sullivan will have a lot of options when filling out his lineup card. Forwards Danton Heinen and Zach Aston-Reese and goaltender Casey DeSmith all returned from the reserve/covid list yesterday, giving the Pens their most complete roster of the season. Only Drew O’Connor is out, and Sullivan yesterday labeled him as “week-to-week” with an upper body injury.
Sullivan says it would have been great to see Matt Murray back in Pittsburgh. He coached Murray both at Wilkes Barre-Scranton and in Pittsburgh, where Murray won two Stanley Cups. Murray did not accompany the team to Pittsburgh after coming down with a non-covid illness that has been making its way through the Senators’ roster. Sullivan says it is always tough to say goodbye to a member of his team, and Murray was special to him.
Sullivan says the crowded locker room with all of those healthy players is a nice problem to have, and it gets the competitive juices flowing.
Forward Jake Guentzel spoke yesterday about being selected by the fans to play int eh All-Star game. He says he loves playing for the Penguins’ fans.
Guentzel says the crowded ice at the practice facility in Cranberry yesterday was exciting.
The NHL has rescheduled nine Penguins games postponed earlier this season. The league will use the time originally scheduled for the Olympic break.
The Pens will play at Boston on February 8th; at Ottawa on the 10th; at New Jersey on the 13th; at home against the Flyers on the 15th; at Toronto on the 17th; two straight at home on the 20th and 24th, against the Hurricanes and then the Devils; They’ll then play April 12th at home against the Islanders and the last day of the regular season, April 29th at Columbus.
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