Pittsburgh will play its first of three matchups against Toronto on Saturday night.
After defeating the Detroit Red Wings, 6-3, on Thursday, the Pittsburgh Penguins will face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday night.
And they are turning to their rookie in pursuit of a road win in Canada.
Goaltender Joel Blomqvist, who earned the win in his NHL debut on Thursday, will get the nod for a second consecutive start on Saturday. He was stellar in the game against Detroit, stopping 32 of 35 shots and making some big saves in the first period to keep the Penguins in the game.
Blomqvist will start in favor of goaltender Tristan Jarry, who gave up six goals to the Rangers in the Penguins' season opener on Wednesday.
"He's a very good goalie," head coach Mike Sullivan said of Blomqvist. "He's athletic, and he makes a lot of saves."
He was asked if Blomqvist's performance in Detroit had any bearing on the decision to put him right back in as the starter.
"It had an impact, without a doubt. We thought he played extremely well."
Here are some other things to look out for tonight's game:
- It is worth noting that goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic made the trip and skated with the team this morning. While the Blomqvist decision is certainly a mark of the coaching staff's confidence in him, it would be unwise for anyone to get too far ahead of themselves here.
There is a lot of discourse about the organization's confidence level in Jarry, especially after Nedeljkovic started 13 straight games to close out the season in the team's playoff push last year.
However, if Nedeljkovic is close to a return, starting Blomqvist tonight may also just serve as a way to make sure he gets another start before being optioned. Since he played well on Thursday, there's no hurt in giving him as much action as possible and seeing what he does with it.
If he continues to impress while the Penguins wait for Nedeljkovic and forces the team's hand? That's another story. But, for now, take this decision with a grain of salt.
- Forward Michael Bunting will make his third trip to Toronto since leaving Ontario's capital city. As a member of the Leafs, Bunting recorded 46 goals and 66 points in 161 games.
He signed with Carolina prior to the 2023-24 season, and since being traded to the Penguins at the 2024 trade deadline, he has put up six goals and 19 points in 23 games.
In two games against his former club so far, Bunting has one goal. He has not yet registered a point on the young season, so he'll be a player to watch in tonight's game.
- There is a decent chance that forward Bryan Rust will return to the lineup tonight. Sullivan said he is a "game-time decision."
Rust skated on a line with Sidney Crosby and Anthony Beauvillier during the morning skate on Saturday, and he took line rushes. The forward lines at practice were:
Beauvillier-Crosby-Rust
Bunting-Evgeni Malkin-Rickard Rakell
Drew O'Connor-Lars Eller-Jesse Puljujarvi
Kevin Hayes-Cody Glass-Noel Acciari
- It appears that forward Rutger McGroarty may be headed for his first scratch of the season.
This is not necessarily the case, as, sometimes, skaters who are going to be scratched practice a bit longer, and McGroarty was off the ice pretty quickly this morning:
But it stands to reason that, when the Penguins do return to health, McGroarty may be sent down to ensure he gets regular top-line minutes in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Time will only tell, and there may be a forward rotation with Rust back in the fold. But the best thing for McGroarty will be to get regular playing time, regardless of which level that happens at.