Pittsburgh Penguins News

Crosby is expected to miss at least six weeks so the move to IR was simply a formality to open up a roster spot to call-up some reinforcements--in this case, it's Joseph Blandisi.

Crosby has been dealing with a nagging sports hernia and opted for surgery on Thursday. This is obviously a massive blow for the Penguins but Evgeni Malkin has often elevated his game when Crosby is out. Crosby was known as injury-prone early in his career but has become much more durable in recent years, so this is uncharted territory for this Pittsburgh team. In fact, Crosby has missed just 19 games over the last six seasons, appearing in 96.1 percent of regular-season games over that span. Expect Jared McCann to continue to skate as a top-6 centre while Crosby is out.

Crosby suffered a lower-body injury vs. the Blackhawks on Saturday and will not play Tuesday in New York and will likely miss Friday's game in New Jersey as well. Jared McCann moved up between Jake Guentzel and Alex Galchenyuk in Monday's practice, so look for him to skate there against the Rangers.

Crosby was forced to leave Saturday's game vs. the Blackhawks with a lower-body injury and it seems as if he could miss Tuesday's game in New York. The Penguins have yet to release any information on Crosby's status but look for Jared McCann to skate in Crosby's spot if he can't play.

Letang missed Thursday's game against the Islanders with a lower-body injury that he suffered late in Monday's game in Boston. Letang will miss at least a couple of weeks, which has become a trend throughout his career. Letang missed 17 games in 2018-19 and has missed 20.7 percent of the games over the last five seasons.

Letang was forced to exit Monday's game in Boston with a lower-body issue and will not play against the Islanders on Thursday. With Letang out, John Marino will move up to play on the top-pair with Brian Dumoulin and Justin Schultz will man the top power-play unit.

Malkin has missed 11 games with a lower-body issue but will be back in his familiar second-line centre and PP1 role this afternoon. Malkin had one goal in two games before getting hurt.

Graves was a healthy scratch on Wednesday but will replace Mark Barberio on Friday night. Graves has one goal, one assist and a plus-5 rating in 11 games this season.

Malkin has missed the last 11 games with a lower-body injury but was on the ice during Friday's practice and has a chance to return on Saturday. Malkin, who has one goal in two games to start the season, remains a game-time decision so monitor his status on Saturday morning.

Malkin returned to the ice on Monday but will not play Tuesday vs. the Flyers. Instead, Malkin is hoping to be back in the lineup vs. the Oilers on Saturday. Continue to monitor Malkin’s status as the weekend approaches.

Rust has missed the first 11 games of the season but is eligible to come off of LTIR and make his season debut on Saturday. Rust skated on the second line with Nick Bjugstad and Patric Hornqvist in Friday's practice. He had 18 goals and 17 assists (35 points) in 72 games a season ago.

Hamaliuk was a second-round pick (No.55 overall) in this summer’s NHL Entry Draft. The 6-foot-4, 193 lbs. winger had 26 points (11G / 15A) in 31 WHL games last year but has opened this season with 10 points (5G / 5A) in 12 games with the Kelowna Rockets.

van Riemsdyk has overcome an early-season shoulder injury and will play Friday in Anaheim. The Ducks sent Brian Gibbons back to Charlotte (AHL) and opened the door for van Riemsdyk to dress as a seventh defenseman. He had three goals and 11 assists (14 points) in 78 games last season.

Gustafsson, 19, was a second-round pick (No.60 overall) in 2018 and will replace Mark Letestu in the lineup on Tuesday. Gustafsson, who had 12 points (2G / 10A) in 36 games with HV71 Jonkoping of the Swedish Hockey League last year, will skate with Gabriel Bourque and Mason Appleton.

Durability has always been a concern for Malkin, who has missed 20 percent of the games over the last six years, and now he is expected to miss a large chunk of 2019-20. With Nick Bjugstad also out “longer-term," the Penguins are going to lean heavily on Jared McCann and Teddy Blueger to stabilize their second and third lines.

Karlsson missed the season opener in Vegas to be with his wife for the birth of their child but will play tonight vs. the Golden Knights. Karlsson will look to build off of a solid first season in San Jose—his 1.8 SH% is bound to bounce-back and a healthy season could result in 60-plus assists.

Karlsson was a late scratch from the Sharks season opener in Vegas. Karlsson had to attend to a personal affair and will be replaced by Tim Heed on the blueline and Kevin Labanc on the first power-play unit.

Crosby has practiced for the last two days and will play in the Penguins season opener. Crosby is set to centre the top line with Jake Guentzel and Patric Hornqvist on his wings. The 32-year-old centre is coming off of his first 100-point season since 2014.

Crosby practiced for the first time since being hit in the foot with a shot during Pittsburgh’s preseason game last Saturday. “I felt good today,” Crosby told reporters, but his status for Thursday’s season opener remains unknown. Expect another update on Thursday.