After a frenzy of moves at the NHL trade deadline earlier on Friday, the Pittsburgh Penguins will take to the ice against the Vegas Golden Knights.
And they have just enough active rostered players to dress for game time.
Following the trades of forwards Anthony Beauvillier, Cody Glass, and Michael Bunting, as well as defenseman Luke Schenn, the Penguins will have just 12 forwards and six defensemen – as well as their two goaltenders in Alex Nedeljkovic and Tristan Jarry – for Friday’s tilt.
One of those players is new center Tommy Novak, who was acquired from the Nashville Predators in the Bunting trade. He will slot in as third-line center Friday.
“Obviously, I’m really excited coming to such a storied franchise and playing with such great players,” Novak said. “It’s an honor to play for this franchise, and I’m really excited to get going.”
The Penguins also did recall defenseman Jack St. Ivany from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) on an emergency basis, but he will not be in the lineup, and it’s unclear whether or not he will be in Vegas for puck drop. This is because newly acquired players from the Toronto Maple Leafs, defenseman Conor Timmins and forward Connor Dewar, will not make it to Vegas in time for Friday’s game.
St. Ivany spent 19 games with the Penguins at the beginning of the season and registered one point. He has a goal and six points in 21 games with WBS this season.
Otherwise, Alex Nedeljkovic will see his second consecutive start in goal after a 4-1 loss against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday. Nedeljkovic was solid in net, surrendering two goals on 23 shots against.
Here is the rest of the Penguins’ lineup:
The Golden Knights are first in the Pacific Division with 80 points and lead the Edmonton Oilers by four. They are 6-3-1 in their last 10 and are riding a three-game winning streak, and they reunited with former Golden Knight – and ex-Penguin – Reilly Smith before the trade deadline.
Smith – who spent most of the season with the New York Rangers – has 10 goals and 29 points in 58 games on the season.
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