Penguins activate Jarry, Koivunen from IR, set to return vs. Sabres
The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that they have activated goaltender Tristan Jarry and winger Ville Koivunen from injured reserve.
Forward Ville Koivunen and goaltender Tristan Jarry have been activated from Injured Reserve.
Goaltender Sergei Murashov has been re-assigned to the @WBSPenguins (AHL). pic.twitter.com/RYRsLnThD3
In a corresponding move, the Penguins have also re-assigned goaltender Sergei Murashov to the team’s minor league affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Jarry is confirmed to be starting for the Penguins in Wednesday night’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. Ville Koivunen was also confirmed to be in the lineup by Penguins head coach Dan Muse, with him entering in place of Ben Kindel as part of the rookie’s development plan.
Koivunen will be playing on the third line alongside Tristan Broz, who will be making his NHL debut, and Tommy Novak. Koivunen will also be playing on the Penguins’ second power play unit with Kevin Hayes, Danton Heinen, Kris Letang and Novak.
Jarry has been out of the lineup since the Penguins’ 4-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on November 3rd due to a lower-body injury. He missed the last seven games with the injury, with Pittsburgh going 2-2-3 in his absence.
Jarry has had a significant bounce back season with the Penguins, as he has a 5-2-0 record, a .911 save percentage and a 2.15 5v5 goals saved above expected in seven games.
Koivunen has only missed the last three games with a lower-body injury that he sustained during the first game of the Penguins’ Global Series against the Nashville Predators. He was placed on injured reserve to make room on the Penguins’ roster.
Koivunen has only two assists in 11 games so far this season, not nearly as successful as his seven assists in eight games last year.
Murashov returns to the AHL after a solid first stint in the NHL, where he had a 1-1-1 record, a .913 SV%, a shutout and a 1.38 5v5 GSAx in four games. He also has a 5-2-0 record, a .931 SV% and a shutout in seven games in the AHL.
The Penguins will hope these returns will help snap a stretch of five losses in six games when they host the Sabres on Wednesday at 7 p.m. EST. Pittsburgh sits in fifth in the Metropolitan Division with a 10-6-5 record.