Here are the three biggest takeaways from the Penguins' Thursday practice at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. They are scheduled to practice here again on Friday before hosting Toronto on Saturday.
1. Carter and Jarry enter COVID protocol
Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan announced that forward Jeff Carter tested positive for COVID-19 and has entered the protocol, and goaltender Tristan Jarry is in the protocol as well. Both players are currently asymptomatic.
It's another tough break for the Penguins in regards to the virus, as forward Zach Aston-Reese missed the first two games of the season after testing positive and being symptomatic, while winger Jake Guentzel was sidelined for the opener after testing positive and being asymptomatic.
"We did a really good job last year - I don't think we had one case the whole year - and it just seems like this year, we're not really catching the breaks," forward Evan Rodrigues said. "You try to be as diligent as possible and you try to keep yourself safe, but sometimes it's a freak pass by when you're leaving the rink. You don't really know."
Sullivan said they are trying to find the sweet spot when it comes to mitigating the risk and limiting their exposure as much as they can, while also living their lives outside of the rink, as this year is a bit of a different environment compared to last year.
"I'm sure we'll reconvene with Hexy (Penguins general manager Ron Hextall), and we'll have these discussions on how to proceed moving forward," Sullivan said. "But I just think it's the reality of what of the world right now, and we're all trying to manage our way through it as best we can."
After Guentzel confirmed positive on Oct. 3 (following Aston-Reese confirming positive on Sep. 27), the Penguins met with their team doctors about reimplementing some of the mitigation strategies they had used before, including testing players and staff daily. Sullivan said that's the biggest way the Penguins differ from the outside world at this point in time.
"In the general population, because people don't test every day, people that are asymptomatic wouldn't even know it. They would just live their lives," Sullivan said. "So because we test every day, we end up identifying those people, and I think it's for good reason. We're trying to keep the group healthy, and that's one of the measures that our team has chosen to try and accomplish that."
2. Crosby ruled out for Saturday vs. Toronto
Carter and Jarry obviously did not practice, and neither did Sidney Crosby, who had a second straight scheduled day off the ice as he recovers from the wrist procedure he underwent on Sep. 8.
"He had two days in a row off the ice. That was part of his schedule to return to play," said Sullivan, who ruled out the Penguins captain for their next game, which is Saturday versus the Maple Leafs. "He is rehabbing off the ice."
Crosby joined his teammates for the first time on Oct. 9 after skating on his own during training camp. He was given a recovery timeline of a minimum of six weeks.
All other expected players were on the ice for practice, minus Bryan Rust (lower-body, week-to-week) and of course, Evgeni Malkin, who is going to miss at least the first two months of the season after undergoing offseason knee surgery.
3. Workflow
With Crosby, Malkin and now Carter currently out, the ever-versatile Rodrigues slotted up into the first-line center role during line rushes. Stepping up is something that Rodrigues is used to, as injuries and COVID-related absences are something the Penguins have dealt with since he first joined the organization via trade in February 2020.
"He's been playing in that capacity for a season-plus," Sullivan said. "He played a lot of top-six minutes last year as well. Sometimes it was on the wing, sometimes it's at center, but he's capable of both. E-Rod's a good player. He's got good offensive instincts. He's a very capable guy. And we're going to need him now."
Rodrigues is off to a strong start this season, collecting two goals and an assist while centering Jason Zucker and Kasperi Kapanen on the second line. He said he won't change much if he does need to shoulder that top-line center role on Saturday.
"That's a mistake that a lot of young guys make, including myself when I first came in the league," Rodrigues, 28, said. "They get bumped up the lineup, and they try to either create more offense or play a different game, and the reason why you have success and get to where you are is by playing your game. So you do your thing and the game will take care of itself."
Here is the Penguins' workflow…
Guentzel-Rodrigues-Kapanen
Aston-Reese-Blueger-McGinn
Zucker-O'Connor-Heinen
Lafferty-Boyle-Simon
Dumoulin-Letang
Pettersson-Marino
Matheson, Ruhwedel and Friedman rotated.
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October 20, 2021 at 02:00PM
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Carter and Jarry Enter COVID Protocol - NHL.com
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