After two straight wins, the Penguins have a chance tonight to complete three-game California road sweep as they face off with the Kings in Los Angeles. Pittsburgh exploded offensively Saturday night in a 10-2 over San Jose, then gritted out a tough 2-0 defensive battle with Anaheim on Tuesday.
Tonight, they’ll take on a Kings team that has started hot, at 8-2-2, and has won four in a row, including a 4-1 win last night in Vegas over the defending Stanley Cup champs.
Coach Mike Sullivan says the Penguins have a newfound swagger in their steps since they’ve gotten to the West Coast.
Sullivan liked the way the Penguins responded to a tight defensive game which didn’t have a lot of flow on Tuesday.
The coach loves the way Kris Letang has adjusted his game to be more defense-oriented with the arrival of defenseman Erik Karlsson in Pittsburgh.
Right wing Bryan Rust says the Penguins have a chance to catch a wave in LA.
Karlsson is looking more comfortable every day as a member of the Penguins. The offseason acquisition says you can’t rush it when it comes to fitting in.
The Penguins were still in the process of evaluating goaltender Tristan Jarry’s condition after he suffered a head injury Tuesday night and had to leave the Anaheim game. He was hit by the hip of Ducks forward Ryan Strome, snapping Jarry’s head back and knocking off his helmet. The puck then struck him above his right eye, causing a cut.
Jarry did not practice yesterday. Sullivan said his availability would depend on the evaluation and if need be, the Pens will call up another goaltender while third string Magnus Hellberg starts tonight.
The Penguins have unconditionally waived veteran forward Andreas Johanssen for the purpose of terminating his contract. He signed as a free agent in July but after a lackluster preseason, the former 20-goal scorer with Toronto was sent to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, where he was a healthy scratch for the first ten games of the season. He is expected to clear waivers and sign with a European team.
Faceoff tonight in LA is at 10:30. The airtime on 92.5 FM U92 is 9:30.
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