Blomqvist entered the season as the Penguins' third string goalie but has worked his way into the mix due to a preseason injury to Alex Nedeljkovic. In a surprising turn of events, Blomqvist has been the Penguins best goalie this season, outperforming a struggling Tristan Jarry, and will start for the third time in their first six games. The 22-year-old Blomqvist has a 2.86 GAA and .913 SV% in three appearances this season (2-1-0). The Penguins enter action on Thursday as +146 home underdogs against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Pittsburgh Penguins News
Nedeljkovic has been sidelined since late in the preseason when he suffered a lower-body injury. With Pittsburgh struggling to receive consistent netminding from Tristan Jarry early in the season, Nedeljkovic could have an opportunity to garner a heavy workload when he returns to the team. The 28-year-old surprisingly took over Pittsburgh's crease for the Penguins' end-of-season playoff run in 2023-24 due to his 18-7-7 record, 2.97 GAA, and .902 SV% during his first season in Pennsylvania.
McGroarty was the 14th overall pick of the Winnipeg Jets in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 20-year-old was traded to Pittsburgh in the offseason after requesting a trade out of Winnipeg. McGroarty was held without a point in his first three NHL games but excelled at the NCAA level, with 16 goals and 52 points in only 36 games played in 2023-24 with the Michigan Wolverines.
Jarry has struggled to start the 2024-25 campaign but salvaged his first victory in his most recent outing, saving 24 of 27 shots (.889 SV%) in a 6-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens. The 29-year-old Jarry has an ugly 4.50 GAA and .866 SV% through two games this season (1-1-0). The Penguins enter action on Wednesday as -124 home favorites against a Buffalo Sabres club that defeated the Florida Panthers 5-2 in their last game, scoring more than one goal for the first time in four tries this season (1-3-0).
Jarry has struggled to start the 2024-25 campaign but salvaged his first victory in his most recent outing, saving 24 of 27 shots (.889 SV%) in a 6-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens. The 29-year-old Jarry has an ugly 4.50 GAA and .866 SV% through two games this season (1-1-0). The Penguins enter action on Wednesday as -124 home favorites against a Buffalo Sabres club that defeated the Florida Panthers 5-2 in their last game, scoring more than one goal for the first time in four tries this season (1-3-0).
St. Ivany was a healthy scratch on Monday but will draw back into the lineup on Wednesday, replacing Ryan Shea. The 25-year-old St. Ivany played the first three games for the Penguins this season, recording a -2 plus/minus and two penalty minutes while averaging 17:02 time-on-ice.
Shea will return to the press box as a healthy scratch on Wednesday night when he is replaced in the lineup by Jack St. Ivany. Shea made his season debut for the Penguins in their last outing, recording a -1 plus/minus in 15:48 time-on-ice.
Jack St. Ivany is expected to be a healthy scratch on Monday which could lead to Shea drawing into the lineup for the Penguins. The 27-year-old Shea has not played yet this season. He made his NHL debut with the Penguin last season, score one point (0G / 1A) in 31 games.
Puljujarvi could draw into the Penguins lineup in favor of Rutger McGroarty on Monday against the Montreal Canadiens. The 26-year-old Puljujarvi has draw into the Penguins' lineup for two of three games this season and has one point (0G / 1A) and three shots on goal while averaging 12:29 time-on-ice.
Ryan Shea will likely be St. Ivany's replacement in the Penguins' lineup on Monday if he is a healthy scratch. The 25-year-old St. Ivany has played all three games for the Penguins thus far, recording a -2 plus/minus and two penalty minutes while averaging 17:02 time-on-ice.
Jesse Puljujarvi will likely draw into the lineup on Monday if McGroarty is a healthy scratch. The 20-year-old McGroarty is playing his first NHL season and has zero points, a -1 plus/minus, and two shots on goal while averaging 11:37 time-on-ice through his first three games.
Jarry struggled immensely in his first start of the season, allowing six goals on 40 shots (.850 SV%), and served as the Penguins' backup netminder in their following two games. The 29-year-old Jarry will return to the crease on Monday and attempt to redeem himself against the Montreal Canadiens. Jarry has fared well against the Canadiens in his career, posting a 2.50 GAA and .913 SV% in nine appearances (6-1-1). The Penguins enter action as -137 road favorites against the Canadiens.
Rust missed the first two games of the season but will be a game-time decision in Toronto. He took part in the morning skate and skated on the top line and top power-play unit, suggesting that he'll play Saturday. Rust had 56 points (28G / 28A) in 62 games last year.
Blomqvist stopped 29 of 32 shots in the Penguins' win in Detroit on Saturday. It was an impressive NHL debut for the 22-year-old netminder, so much so that the Penguins will go back to him tonight in Toronto. The Penguins are +174 road underdogs against the Maple Leafs.
Blomqvist stopped 29 of 32 shots in the Penguins' win in Detroit on Saturday. It was an impressive NHL debut for the 22-year-old netminder, so much so that the Penguins will go back to him tonight in Toronto. The Penguins are +174 road underdogs against the Maple Leafs.
Blomqvist will make his NHL debut on Thursday as the Penguins gear up to play their second game in as many nights to open their season. A former second-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Blomqvist impressed with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) last season, posting a .921 SV%, a 2.16 GAA and a 25-12-6 record across 45 appearances. He has a decent chance of starting his career off in the win column as the Penguins enter action as slight underdogs at +125 on Thursday.
The Penguins will likely turn to Jarry between the pipes in their season opener against the New York Rangers on Wednesday. With Alex Nedeljkovic injured, Jarry should see a heavy workload in the Penguins' crease for the foreseeable future. Jarry went through inconsistent stretches last season, losing the starting role to Nedeljkovic in the latter end, but was mostly serviceable, posting a 2.91 GAA, a .903 SV%, and six shutouts in 51 games (19-25-5). The Penguins enter action as +123 home underdogs against the Rangers.