On Friday after practice we learned that Gustav Nyquist, who left the game on Thursday night in the 1st period, would not be a player today although head coach Scott Arniel wasn’t really forthcoming on his status. He did indicate that there could be an update after the game. At the other end of the health spectrum captain Adam Lowry‘s return seems imminent. While he won’t be a player today against Pittsburgh, after a practice or two he should be good to go when the team heads out on their six-game, west coast road trip.
As a result of Nyquist not being available for the game it’s an opportunity for 2022 first rounder Brad Lambert to get another chance to make an impact.
It appears that Eric Comrie will get the net today but head coach Scott Arniel didn’t confirm so we will have to stay tuned for warm-up skate.
It isn’t going to be easy for Winnipeg to conclude their homestand with a victory as the somewhat unexpected top team in the NHL is in town. Sidney Crosby is leading the first place Penguins who sit 8-2-2 through 12 games. They’ve been excellent on the road with a 5-1-1 record with very similar numbers as the home team when it comes to goals for and against. When it comes to special teams they have the 2nd best power play in the NHL and the 14th ranked penalty kill.
Skate news:
No morning skate.
Warm-up news:
Turns out Colin Miller will draw in for Luke Schenn.
Jets projected lines & D pairs:
Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
Namestnikov-Toews-Iafallo
Niederreiter-Barron-Pearson
Koepke-Ford-Lambert
Morrissey-DeMelo
Stanley-Pionk
Fleury-Miller
Comrie
Hellebuyck
Penguins projected lines & D pairs:
Hallander-Crosby-Rust
Mantha-Malkin-Tomasino
Novak-Kindel-Koivunen
Dewar-Lizotte-Acciari
Wotherspoon-Karlsson
Shea-Letang
Pickering-Dumba
Jarry/Silovs
The Pens practiced in St. Paul on Friday before flying to Winnipeg. According to play-by-play voice Josh Getzoff this was how they skated yesterday. Justin Brazeau wasn’t skating so Philip Tomasino skated in his place.
Up Next:
Puck drop is at 2 PM CDT. Be sure to head over to illegalcurve.com following the game for a recap of the action. You can join us on our YouTube channel for the Illegal Curve Post-Game Show around 4:40 PM CDT as we discuss and analyze the results of the game.
