Penguins defenseman Juuso Riikola plays first NHL game in nine months

On a night All-Star forwards Sidney Crosby and Jeff Carter rejoined the Pittsburgh Penguins’ lineup, there was a slightly less celebrated return on the team’s blue line during Saturday’s home game against the New Jersey Devils at PPG Paints Arena.

Reserve defenseman Juuso Riikola played in his first regular-season game at the NHL level in just over nine months.

The left-hander opened the contest on the right side of the third pairing with Marcus Pettersson as his partner and was slated to work on the second power-play unit after practicing Friday with that group.

With All-Star defenseman Kris Letang sidelined after he tested positive for covid-19 Oct. 23, the Penguins recalled Riikola from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League the same day.

After serving as a healthy scratch for two games, he made his season debut Saturday.

“Juuso is a real good skater,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “He has good puck skills. That gives him the ability to play both sides. He sees the ice really well. He can make outlet passes. In particular, one of his strengths is on the offensive blue line. He has a real good shot. He gets pucks through. We can utilize him on the power play. He brings all of those things to our group.”

Not too many good things have happened to Riikola through the calendar year. Limited to two games during the 2020-21 season, primarily because of an undisclosed injury he suffered Jan. 19, Riikola went through waivers and cleared in April. After that, he was assigned to the team’s taxi squad for the sake of relieving most of his $1.15 million average annual value from the Penguins’ salary cap figure. That maneuver allowed the Penguins to trade for Carter.

After a solid but hardly noteworthy preseason, Riikola was waived again (and cleared again), then assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Oct. 9. He appeared in three AHL games and recorded two assists before being summoned to the NHL roster.

Sullivan has routinely lauded Riikola’s level of professionalism that hasn’t always been met with the reward of playing time over the past nine months.

“It’s a tough challenge,” Sullivan said. “This is a hard league. It’s very competitive. There’s a lot of good players, and it’s not easy to solidify a roster spot on any given team. Juuso is a real good teammate. He’s a good person. He obviously wants to be in our lineup. Last year was a tough experience for him. He handled it very professionally. He never influenced the team in a negative way at all. He worked extremely hard. He just had a professional approach. Our coaching staff certainly was appreciative of that. We also know he’s a player that wants to play like most players.”

Forward Evan Rodrigues said: “Juuso is a guy who just brings a great attitude to the rink every day. He’s a guy you love having in your locker room because he never has a bad day. He brings a little bit of grit to our lineup that I think we’ll enjoy. He has offensive ability, too. He has a bomb of a one-timer. If he just plays his game, he’ll fit right in and do a great job.”

With Riikola in the lineup, defenseman Mark Friedman was a healthy scratch for the first time this season. He was joined by forwards Sam Lafferty and Dominik Simon.

Rust rejoins teammates

Forward Bryan Rust, sidelined since suffering an undisclosed injury Oct. 14, rejoined his teammates on the ice for the first time since he left the lineup Saturday.

Participating in an optional morning skate, Rust wore a white noncontact jersey.

Sullivan, who originally labeled Rust as “week-to-week,” indicated the right winger’s status has not changed.

“His timeline remains the same. He’s making progress. The fact that he’s participating with the team I think just the next step in the rehab process.”

Currently on injured reserve, Rust has played in two games this season and has one goal.

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