Pittsburgh Penguins News

The Penguins return to action for the first time since playing in Sweden last weekend, and will turn to Silovs to tend the twine on Friday against the Minnesota Wild. Silovs played well in his most recent outing, saving 28 of 30 shots (.933 SV%), but did not receive ample goal support in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Nashville Predators. The 24-year-old Latvian goalie has been impressive in his first season with the Penguins, posting a 2.44 GAA and .918 SV% in 10 games (4-2-4). The Penguins enter Friday's contest as -120 home favorites against a Wild team with points in six straight games (5-0-1).

The Penguins return to action for the first time since playing in Sweden last weekend, and will turn to Silovs to tend the twine on Friday against the Minnesota Wild. Silovs played well in his most recent outing, saving 28 of 30 shots (.933 SV%), but did not receive ample goal support in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Nashville Predators. The 24-year-old Latvian goalie has been impressive in his first season with the Penguins, posting a 2.44 GAA and .918 SV% in 10 games (4-2-4). The Penguins enter Friday's contest as -120 home favorites against a Wild team with points in six straight games (5-0-1).

Zach Aston-Reese will be a healthy scratch on Thursday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, allowing Chinakhov to re-enter the lineup. The 24-year-old Chinakhov has four points (2G / 2A) in 14 games and has been held off the scoresheet in eight straight.

Skinner and the Oilers struggled in a disappointing loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Monday, allowing four goals on 27 shots (.852 SV%) in the 5-1 defeat. That said, Skinner has been more consistent than Calvin Pickard this season and will return to the crease on Wednesday against the Washington Capitals. The 27-year-old Skinner boasts a 2.86 GAA and .889 SV% in 15 games this season (7-5-3). The Oilers enter Wednesday's contest as +107 road underdogs against a Capitals team that has scored two or fewer goals in their last two games (1-0-1).

Luca Del Bel Belluz will return to the Blue Jackets lineup on Tuesday, sending Chinakhov to the press box as a healthy scratch. The 24-year-old Chinakhov has four points (2G / 2A) in 14 games and has been held off the scoresheet in eight straight.

Koivunen has a whopping 11 points (4G / 7A) in six AHL games, but only one point (0G / 1A) in seven games at the NHL level. He remains out week-to-week, resulting Pittsburgh recalled Samuel Poulin from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL).

The Oilers' up-and-down season continues, but they have found a glimpse of consistency lately from Skinner, who will return to the crease on Monday against the Buffalo Sabres. The 27-year-old Skinner has won three straight games, saving 71 of 79 shots (.899 SV%) in the process. He has a 2.77 GAA and .891 SV% in 14 games this season (7-4-3). The Oilers enter Monday's action as -155 road favorites against a Sabres team at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 6-8-4 record.

With Tristan Jarry (lower body) sidelined week-to-week, Silovs has become the de facto starting netminder for Pittsburgh and will tend the twine on Friday in Sweden against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 24-year-old Silovs was excellent in his most recent game, but did not receive ample goal support, saving 23 of 24 shots (.958 SV%) in a 2-1 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils. He has a 2.49 GAA and .916 SV% in nine games this season (4-2-3). The Penguins enter Friday's overseas matchup as -119 favorites against a Predators team on a three-game losing skid.

Girard has not played since suffering an upper-body injury in Colorado's second game of the season, but will make his return to the lineup on Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres. The 27-year-old Girard has seen a decreased role in recent seasons, but still tallied 24 points (3G / 21A) in 73 games last season.