On Monday, the Pittsburgh Penguins will begin a week in which they play four games in six days when they host the Dallas Stars at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
Rookie goaltender Joel Blomqvist, who turned in a 32-save effort against the Washington Capitals en route to a 4-2 win on Friday, earned his second straight start in goal. With the Penguins now carrying three goaltenders – Blomqvist, Alex Nedeljkovic, and Tristan Jarry – Nedeljkovic will back up Blomqvist against Dallas, while Jarry will be the scratch.
Head coach Mike Sullivan emphasized that, although they are carrying three capable goaltenders right now, performance is still the ultimate dictator of playing time.
“We’ll manage it accordingly, and at the end of the day, it’s always going to be the question that we try to ask, is ‘which guy gives us the best chance to win?’,” Sullivan said. “And, that, I think, is what pro sports is all about. At the end of the day, performance is always going to be the dictator.”
The Penguins also called up forward Sam Poulin and placed Kevin Hayes on injured reserve. Poulin will not figure into Monday’s lineup:
Dallas sits third in the Central Division standings at 8-5. They are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. The Penguins will have a challenge tonight, as the Stars are ranked third in team goaltending, led by star goaltender Jake Oettinger, who is 6-3 with a 2.51 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage.
