The Pittsburgh Penguins currently hold a 1-1-0 record through their first two games. They were on the wrong side of a 6-0 loss on home ice to the New York Rangers on Oct. 10, then turned it around the next night with a 6-3 win on the road against the Detroit Red Wings. On Saturday morning (Oct. 12), they took the ice for morning skate ahead of their matchup in Toronto against the Maple Leafs. Some good news came out of it as Alex Nedeljkovic and Bryan Rust were full participants during the skate.
Bryan Rust Takes Part in Line Rushes; Game-Time Decision on Return
After missing out on some of the preseason and the first two games of the regular season due to an upper-body injury, Rust took part in line rushes during morning skate ahead of their game in Toronto against the Maple Leafs. As he took part in rushes, head coach Mike Sullivan shuffled the lines around. With the shuffling of lines, Penguins’ top prospect Rutger McGroarty was the odd-man out as Rust was slotted onto the first line, with Drew O’Connor moving to the third line left-wing side where McGroarty had been playing.
Though Rust was slotted into his usual spot, according to Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now, “Neither Rust, nor coach Mike Sullivan would confirm Rust‘s status but both did so with a strong inference toward Rust playing.” Last season, the Pontiac, MI native registered 28 goals and 28 assists, including nine power play points. If Rust is to return to the lineup today, this will certainly give them a big boost of offense on the first line and first power play unit.
Penguins Goalie Situation Getting Spicier
Nedeljkovic suffered a lower-body injury 13 minutes into their preseason game against the Red Wings on Sept. 30. He was listed as week-to-week with the injury with no idea when he would be able to return to the team. This morning, he was spotted as a full participant at morning skate, which could mean he is returning sooner than some may have expected. When his return inevitably happens, it will create a big goaltending decision that needs to be made by Penguins’ management.
Related: Penguins’ Goaltending Decisions Loom Large Ahead of 2024-25 Season
The Penguins’ goaltending has been a huge question mark for quite some time now. Tristan Jarry’s game has been inconsistent for a few years now, which caused them to bring in Nedeljkovic as a backup. He was solid last season when called upon. Down the stretch, he took over the crease as Jarry just was not getting the job done. Now, Joel Blomqvist is in the mix after a stellar start. Many fans have been expressing their opinions online about what to do. Some are saying to send Jarry down to the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, while others want to see him outright traded. The likely thing that will happen is Blomqvist heading back down to Wilkes-Barre to continue developing, with a call-up sometime around Christmas. It will be interesting to see exactly how management goes about it.
Joel Blomqvist Gets Second-Straight Start; Big Test Ahead
After an incredible NHL debut for Blomqvist on Oct. 11 against the Red Wings, he will get the start in Toronto which will surely be a good test for the young netminder. For the Penguins and Sullivan, this was a no-brainer after the performance he had in game two of the season. According to @PensInsideScoop on X, Sullivan said the performance in Detroit “had an impact, without a doubt” on the decision to play him and stated, “We thought he played extremely well.”
He did play extremely well, especially early in the game when the Penguins were starting to be outplayed. He came up with some huge saves in the first period, showing how big of an impact he can/will be in the net when he is in the NHL full-time. Though his first NHL game was a decent test, the Maple Leafs are a much different and better team than the Red Wings. Going into a very hostile arena, Blomqvist’s mental strength will play a big part in how he performs.
With the Penguins heading in the right direction in terms of play after their last game, they seem to be getting a couple key pieces back soon, which will help their game elevate to another level. The absence of Rust has been noticeable, and getting him back will help tremendously. As for Nedeljkovic, he will provide more sturdy goaltending, but it will create a big battle in the crease, which could benefit the team in the long run.
