Sidney Crosby did not skate on his own or at Penguins practice yesterday, but assistant coach Todd Reirden said it was a planned day off the ice for the Pens’ captain, who has yet to play this season. Crosby had wrist surgery in August.
Reirden pinch hit for head coach Mike Sullivan for yesterday’s media availability. His particular emphasis is on the defensive corps, which has played well so far this season, and he commented on the reunited pairing of John Marino and Marcus Pettersson, which has been particularly strong. He says Marino worked hard this summer to get stronger and improve this summer, and you can already tell the difference, especially in his offense.
Reirden also said the coaches are aware of how well the Penguins play when the very steady Chad Ruhwedel is on the ice.
New Penguins forward Brock McGinn is off to a strong start for the Penguins. He says the team has been able to adapt to whatever style of play is demanded of them on a given night, and it’s the system they play that enables them to do that.
McGinn said that when he played for Carolina, he knew that the Penguins’ Teddy Bleuger and Zach Aston-Reese were good, but now that he is skating on the Pens’ third line with them, he sees just how good they are.
Defenseman Mark Friedman left practice on Monday with an undisclosed injury and missed Tuesday’s game with Dallas. Reirden says he is “day to day.”
The Penguins’ next game is Saturday night against Toronto at PPG Paints Arena.
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