The Pittsburgh Penguins are heading into Newark, New Jersey with a bit of a different look for their forward group.
After some season-ending injuries for a group of forwards - including Noel Acciari, Blake Lizotte, Matt Nieto, Tommy Novak, and Rutger McGroarty - the Penguins will turn to younger faces who have been up and down between the NHL and AHL levels this season.
Forwards Vasily Ponomarev, Emil Bemstrom, and Valtteri Puustinen were recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) - Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate - on Friday, and they all figure to slot into the lineup when the Penguins square off against the New Jersey Devils on Friday.
Ponomarev sees the value in his time spent in the AHL, and he looks forward to the opportunity to show that players can transition well to the NHL from that level.
"I just want to show that the AHL is a good league where you can develop and turn into an NHL player," Ponomarev said.
Head coach Mike Sullivan wants to see Ponomarev play to his strengths, which includes a simplistic, energy-driven game.
"We just want him to bring the game that sets him up for success," Sullivan said. "He's a good energy guy. I think has the potential to be tough to play against, he's gritty, he's an effort-driven guy, and when he plays with energy, plays a simple, smart game, I think he can be an effective player."
Tristan Jarry will get the start in goal. Here is the rest of the lineup for the Penguins:
Ville Koivunen - Sidney Crosby - Bryan Rust
Danton Heinen - Evgeni Malkin - Rickard Rakell
Connor Dewar - Kevin Hayes - Valtteri Puustinen
Joona Koppanen - Vasily Ponomarev - Emil Bemstrom
Matt Grzelcyk - Kris Letang
Conor Timmins - Erik Karlsson
Ryan Graves - Ryan Shea
Even In Passing, Shero Leaves Legacy On Penguins OrganizationIt's hard to talk about the Sidney Crosby-era Pittsburgh Penguins without talking about former general manager Ray Shero.
The Devils have clinched a postseason berth after missing last season with a heavily depleted roster, and they currently sit third in Metropolitan Division behind the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes. They are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games, which have been without star forward Jack Hughes and top defenseman Dougie Hamilton, both out for the rest of the regular season.
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