Hayton will come out of the Coyotes lineup with a minor injury. The Coyotes said that he probably could have played buy that they are being cautious, so John Hayden will draw into the lineup for him. Consider Hayton as day-to-day.
Rooney was banged up in the season opener in a collision with Ross Johnston and will not play on Saturday. It’s unclear if he’s out due to injury or a coach’s decision. Phil Di Giuseppe will replace him in the lineup.
Vanecek will make his NHL debut on Friday after going 19-10-1 with a 2.26 GAA and .917 SV% in 31 games with Hershey (AHL) a season ago. The 2014 second-round pick will get quite a bit of work this season after Henrik Lundqvist was forced to sit out for the year. A matchup with a Sabres team that scored four on Ilya Samsonov last night keeps him out of the streaming pool this early in the season.
Crouse was originally listed as a game-time decision but shortly after cleared protocol and will play tonight vs. the Sharks. Crouse, who had 15 goals and 10 assists (25 points) in 66 games last season is expected to skate with Derick Brassard and Clayton Keller.
Crouse was unable to participate on Wednesday due to COVID-19 protocols and the Coyotes are not certain whether Crouse will be available for their season opener. If Crouse can't play, John Hayden will replace him in the bottom-6.
Connauton figures to go to the Panthers' taxi squad or the AHL after signing a two-way deal on Wednesday. Connauton had no points in just four games with the Avalanche last season, spending most of the year in the AHL. He had 27 points (5G / 22A) in 38 games with the Eagles.
Marino was originally drafted in the sixth-round by the Oilers but was traded to Pittsburgh for a sixth-round pick back in the summer of 2019. What a trade that has turned out to be for the Penguins. Marino had a terrific rookie season, compiling six goals with 20 assists (26 points) in 56 games. He averaged over 20 minutes per game in 2020 and should continue to eat huge minutes in the Penguins' top-4 in 2021.
Rooney signed with the New Jersey Devils out of Providence College and spent the first five years of his career in that organization. The 27-year-old was a regular NHLer in 2020, scoring four goals and five assists (nine points) in 49 games. He will be a borderline roster player on a deep Rangers team and could start the year in Hartford (AHL).
