Pittsburgh Penguins News

Girard was a surprise scratch on Thursday, with the team only announcing his absence minutes before puck drop. Keaton Middleton will draw into the lineup in his place.

The Oilers have outscored their opposition 12-3 during a three-game winning streak and will likely turn to Skinner between the pipes on Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets. The 26-year-old Skinner was solid in his most recent outing, saving 21 of 22 shots (.955 SV%) in a 3-1 win over the New York Rangers. He has a 2.84 GAA and .897 SV% in 46 games this season (23-17-4). The Oilers enter Thursday's contest as slight -111 home favorites against a Jets club coming off a disappointing 6-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks.

Soderblom showed no signs of an injury in the Red Wings' previous game, playing 13:57 time-on-ice, but will be sidelined day-to-day with an undisclosed ailment. The 23-year-old Soderblom is averaging 13:13 time-on-ice and has nine points (3G / 6A) in 22 games this season.

Bemstrom will be the odd-man out up-front for the Penguins when they host the Islanders on Tuesday. Joona Koppanen will make his season debut in place of Bemstrom.

Koppanen will slot in for Emil Bemstrom, who is a healthy scratch for Tuesday's game against the Islanders. Koppanen is yet to score a goal across nine career NHL games and has registered just a single assist.

Kopanen has one point (0G / 1A) in nine career NHL games but has primarily played in the AHL the previous several seasons. The 27-year-old forward has 21 points (6G / 15A) in 53 games with the Wilke-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) this season.

Chinakhov was a healthy scratch on Thursday but he will re-enter the lineup for Christian Fischer on Saturday. Chinakhov has failed to record a point in four games since returning from injury on March 4th.

Skinner allowed three goals on 23 shots (.870 SV%) in a disappointing loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Monday, but he will return to the crease on Friday against the New Jersey Devils. The 26-year-old Skinner has a 2.88 GAA and .896 SV% in 44 games this season (22-16-4). The Oilers enter the action on Thursday as -132 road favorites against a Devils team that received crushing news on Thursday, announcing that Dougie Hamilton will be out for the remainder of the season.

Hayes is an undrafted 22-year-old forward that made his professional debut last season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL). He has 35 points (17G / 18A) in 44 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season.

With Christian Fischer making his Blue Jackets debut on Thursday against the Vegas Golden Knights, Chinakhov will be the odd-man out of the lineup as a healthy scratch. The 24-year-old Chinakhov has 14 points (7G / 7A) in 21 games this season before being sidelined due to an injury. In four games since returning to the lineup, Chinakhov has zero points and a -6 plus/minus rating.

Shea showed no signs of an injury in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Minnesota Wild, playing a season-high 24:18 time-on-ice, but he will be sidelined week-to-week due to an upper-body injury. The 28-year-old defenseman is averaging 16:55 time-on-ice and has five points (2G / 3A) in 30 games.

On Sunday, in his second game as a Penguin, Novak played 12:01 time-on-ice before exiting the contest with a lower-body injury. The 27-year-old forward is averaging 13:14 time-on-ice and has 22 points (13G / 9A) in 54 games this season.

Aho has 50 points (11G / 39A) in 190 career NHL games but has spent the entirety of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL. The 29-year-old defenseman has seven points (0G / 7A) in 17 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) this season.

Laatsch was a seventh-round pick, 215th overall, of the Penguins in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. The 6'5 defenseman is a product of the University of Wisconsin and scored five points (2G / 3A) in 22 games with the club this season.

The Oilers have won two straight and will roll with Skinner between the pipes on Monday against the Buffalo Sabres. Skinner allowed four goals on 25 shots (.840 SV%) on Saturday but received ample goal support in a 5-4 win over the Dallas Stars. The 26-year-old Skinner has a 2.87 GAA and .897 SV% in 43 games (22-15-4) this season. The Oilers enter Monday's contest as -179 road favorites against a Sabres team amid a six-game losing skid (0-5-1).