Here are your Pens Points for this Friday morning…
The Pittsburgh Penguins snapped a four-game losing streak with a 4-0 shutout victory over the Florida Panthers on Thursday night. [Recap]
General manager Kyle Dubas shed more light on Ben Kindel’s medical situation Thursday, saying that Kindel experienced a vasovagal episode. This condition can cause fainting due to a sudden drop in blood pressure. Kindel is back in Pittsburgh and could resume some activities next week pending further tests, while forward Bryan Rust was also placed on injured reserve
with an injury sustained Monday; Pittsburgh recalled forward Rutger McGroarty and defenseman Chase Pietila from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to fill the roster spots. [PensBurgh]
Diving deeper into Rust’s injury, he will be reevaluated in six weeks after sustaining a lower-body injury during Monday’s game. Rust, who has five points in seven games this season, is expected to miss significant time, creating another challenge for Pittsburgh’s offense as the team deals with multiple injuries. [PensBurgh]
Rutger McGroarty’s name made the headlines after his call-up due to injuries at forward, but defenseman Chase Pietila also earned his first NHL call-up after two seasons of steady development in the Penguins’ organization. The 22-year-old impressed during training camp and has continued to progress with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. [Penguins]
News and notes from around the NHL…
Ottawa Senators forward Nick Cousins and Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk were fined for their roles in a heated third-period confrontation during Ottawa’s 5-1 win on Wednesday. [Sportsnet]
Former NHL forward Ron Duguay, a one-time Pittsburgh Penguin but best known for his years with the New York Rangers, died Thursday at 69 after battling stage 4 colon cancer. [NHL]
Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews is showing signs of returning to the elite scoring form that saw him net 69 goals in 2023-24, earning teammates’ praise after a strong start to the season. [TSN]
Montreal Canadiens star forward Nick Suzuki will miss two to four weeks with an upper-body injury, the team announced Thursday, ending his ironman streak at 546 consecutive regular-season games played. [TSN]
