The Pittsburgh Penguins will compete against the host Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night in a clash between two teams that lacked their strikers who started the game last season.
The swinging Penguins will close out a four-game road trip through Western Canada against Vancouver, which will be looking for its fourth straight win.
Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko was a Vezina Trophy finalist last season, but the team’s best player is dealing with a knee injury. There is no clear date for his return.
Two-time All-Star goaltender Tristan Jarry, who signed a five-year contract with the Penguins this past summer, has struggled early in the season. He was sent back to Pittsburgh on Thursday to work out the details of his game.
Kevin Lankinen, who signed a one-year contract with Vancouver in September, has carried a lot of work this new season.
The Penguins are interviewing Joel Blomqvist, who made 46 saves in Friday’s 4-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. It was a solid effort by 22-year-old Pittsburgh native Blomqvist, who has lost four straight games overall.
“He’s risen to the top of every challenge we’ve given him so far,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “He played very well in the games he played. He is a goalkeeper who likes to run. He moves very well from east to west. He deserves the net.”
Blomqvist did his best to give his team a chance to get back into Friday’s game, but the Penguins couldn’t solve Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner.
The Canucks continued their recent run of good fortune with a 6-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.
Danton Heinen scored two goals in the first half for Vancouver. JT Miller collected a goal and two assists, and Conor Garland had one each in the win.
Lankinen played for his former club in the tournament but was too sharp in a scoreless second half.
This will be the start of a three-game home stretch for Vancouver, which was challenged during practice Wednesday after two of its offensive players were traded.
Miller and Elias Pettersson trade low chops after a puck-battle drill. Miller added an extra crosscheck for good measure before they were separated.
Vancouver’s three-game winning streak follows a three-game skid (0-1-2) to start the season.
“We’re playing our game,” Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said. “There are things that we need to improve on as the season starts.
“We’ve been scoring a lot of goals in the last few games and getting deep goals.”
The Penguins are still paying the price for their recent winning mindset, which has also helped lend to their future. Fortunately, they are still getting production from veterans like Evgeni Malkin, captain Sidney Crosby and defenseman Erik Karlsson.
Malkin is enjoying a resurgent early season with 11 points in his first nine games. If it keeps up that pace, it will have no problem surpassing last season’s 67 points.
Crosby is second on the team in scoring behind Malkin with seven points in nine games.
–Field Level Media
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