Sidney Crosby may return tonight when the Penguins host the Colorado Avalanche. The Penguins captain has practiced the last two days and seems ready to play, but will be a game-time decision.
The Penguins battles with the mumps continue as Robert Bortuzzo and Olli Maatta still await the results of their tests. Also added to that list is goaltender Thomas Greiss, who practiced on Wednesday, but was not with the team today.
Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, held out of practice on Wednesday while he was being tested for the mumps, just
has a cold and he will start for the Penguins in goal this evening.
“I was pretty confident,” Fleury said of his relatively clean bill of health. “I didn’t feel too bad, just was glad though that they did it quick to get a result back quickly. I was a little worried about missing the game tonight.”
Fleury has a .918 save percentage and a 6-2 record is his career against the Avalanche. In his last five games, Fleury is 4-0-1 with a .937 save percentage. He is now second in the NHL in wins, sixth in save percentage, and sixth in goals-against average. He also leads the league with five shutouts.
Jeff Zatkoff, recalled on Wednesday from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, will most likely back up Fleury because usual backup goaltender Greiss has been quarantined from the team.
Zatkoff has a 9-5-1 record with a .918 save percentage and a 1.89 goals-against average in 15 AHL games this year. Last season with Pittsburgh, he played in 20 games and had a 12-6-2 record and a .912 save percentage.
TONIGHT’S OPPONENT: One of the biggest disappointments in the NHL this season has been the struggling Colorado Avalanche. In 2013-14, first year head coach Patrick Roy led the Avalanche to a 55-22-8 record and their first division championship in over a decade.
This season, the downfall has been staggering. The Avs are dead last in the Central Division and are 11 points out of playoff position.
Despite Roy being a hall-of-fame goaltender, inconsistent goaltending has been one of the problems for Colorado. Semyon Varlamov started 63 games last season, third-most in the NHL, and had a .927 save percentage.
This season, he is 4-6-5 and has a .909 save percentage in 15 games while missing time with two injuries. He was placed on the injured reserve on Wednesday. Reto Berra, acquired from Calgary at the trade deadline and signed to a three-year contract, has played even worse. He has a 2-2-1 record and a dismal .882 save percentage in 10 games.
The combination of Varlamov’s injuries and Berra’s poor play has turned the Avalanche to rookie Calvin Pickard. The former second round pick has been a bright spot so far and will get the start tonight in Pittsburgh. Through 13 games, he has a 6-4-3 record and a .920 save percentage.
BACK IN GOLD: The Penguins will wear their Pittsburgh-gold alternate jerseys for the fifth time this season. The Penguins are 2-1-1 while wearing their alternate jerseys so far this season, and three of the four games have gone into overtime.
WORKING OVERTIME: The Penguins are 4-4 after regulation this season, going 2-2 in the games decided in overtime, and 2-2 in the shootout. The Avalanche are 4-7 in games that needed more than 60 minutes, going with a 1-5 overtime record and a 2-3 shootout record.
MINOR MATTERS: Penguins assistant general manager Bill Guerin will be an honorary captain for the AHL All-Star Game January 26 in Utica, New York. Guerin began his professional career in Utica, playing in 40 games with the Utica Devils between 1991 and 1993. He finished his career in 2010 with the Penguins and has been a member of the team’s front office since 2011.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (16-9-3, 1st AHL East) will host Albany on Friday night. They will do so with a new goaltender, as Eric Hartzell was recalled from Wheeling on Wednesday. Hartzell is 2-0 with a .882 save percentage in two games in Wilkes-Barre this season. In nine games with Wheeling, he is 5-4 with a .915 save percentage.
The Wheeling Nailers (12-10, 3rd ECHL North) will host the Greenville Road Warriors on Friday night at 7:35 p.m. Nailers captain Shane Bakker has been loaned to Hamilton of the AHL. Bakker has six points and 31 penalty minutes in 22 games with the Nailers this season.
#CAWLIDGEHAWKEY: Mercyhurst junior forward Kyle Cook has been suspended for one game by the Atlantic Hockey Conference for a contact to the head penalty taken against Robert Morris junior forward Zac Lynch on December 14. Lynch had to undergo concussion testing after the hit.
Photo credit: CBC
