The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without P.O. Joseph and Kasperi Kapanen for at least the first game of their new back-to-back situation in Canada.
The Pittsburgh Penguins saw a pair of injuries to defensemen during their win over the Washington Capitals, and it looks like one of them will be out for at least one game.
P.O. Joseph and Jan Rutta both didn’t finish the contest, forcing the Penguins to play with four defensemen.
The team has traveled north to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens in back-to-back nights.
For the first game, at least, the Penguins will be without Joseph as he did not take part in the pregame warm ups in Toronto.
Rutta said he was ready to go following the morning skate and as projected then, he is in the lineup in his usual spot.
Chad Ruhwedel has stepped into the lineup in Joseph’s spot and will play alongside Rutta on the third defensive line.
That third line of Rutta and Ruhwedel will be interesting to keep an eye on as they are both right-handed shots.
Mark Friedman was also called up following the injuries to Joseph and Rutta; while not in the lineup, Friedman did make it to Toronto and took part in the pregame warmup.
As was predicted following the morning skate, Kasperi Kapanen is also not in the lineup; Kapanen is healthy scratched for the second consecutive game.
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