Penguins expected to start goaltender Dustin Tokarski against Devils
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The Pittsburgh Penguins are scheduled to start reserve goaltender Dustin Tokarski in Saturday’s home game against the New Jersey Devils at PPG Paints Arena.
Coach Mike Sullivan announced Tokarski’s status roughly two hours before the opening faceoff.
Appearing in three NHL games this season (and starting one), Tokarski has a 1-1-0 record, a 3.20 goals-against average and an .893 save percentage.
Tokarski has been recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League three times this season with the most recent recall coming on Feb. 4.
In two career games against the Devils, Tokarski has a 0-0-2 record, a 1.87 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage.
With top goaltender Tristan Jarry still hobbled by an undisclosed injury, backup Casey DeSmith has started the previous eight consecutive games.
Jarry skated in the morning, Sullivan said, and continues to rehabilitate an injury that has kept him sidelined since Jan. 22.
“He had a strong on-ice session today,” Sullivan said. “He had one (Friday) as well. He’s making progress. We’ll continue to build his conditioning through what he’s doing with our group.”
Jarry had multiple doctors appointments Thursday to address his still-undisclosed malady then joined his teammates Friday in advance of their 5-4 road loss to the New York Islanders in Elmont, N.Y.
“There’s a group of (doctors), “Sullivan said. “There’s been outside consultants as well. They’re making sure that they’re doing their due diligence so that they monitor Tristan as closely as they can.”
Jarry is designated to injured reserve.
Notes:
• In addition to Jarry, injured defensemen Mark Friedman, Jan Rutta and forward Ryan Poehling skated in the morning with Jarry. All three were ruled out for Saturday’s game because of their undisclosed ailments.
Rutta is designated to long-term injured reserve and has missed the past 12 games. Friedman and Poehling have scratched for the past two games and remain members of the active roster.
• Devils All-Star forward Jack Hughes is expected to return to the lineup after missing the past four games because of an undisclosed injury.
Despite that absence, Hughes remains the team’s leading scorer with 67 points (35 goals, 32 assists) in 50 games while averaging 20 minutes, 10 seconds of ice time per contest.
• Devils defenseman John Marino is expected to play in his first career game against the Penguins. Dealt by the Penguins to the Devils in July, Marino missed the first two meetings of the season between the teams — Dec. 30 and Jan. 22 — because of an undisclosed injury.
In 37 games with the Devils this season, Marino has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) while averaging 21:27 of ice time per contest.
• Devils forward Nico Hischier has 99 career goals.
• Saturday’s game is scheduled to start a little after 5:30 p.m., less than 24 hours after the Penguins’ loss to the Islanders.
With the NHL staging an outdoor game in Raleigh, N.C., between the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes, the league would prefer to give that contest a fairly exclusive window to maximize viewers in the United States. As a result, the Devils-Penguins game has an earlier start than usual.