Penguins defenseman P.O Joseph tests positive for covid-19
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman P.O Joseph has tested positive for covid-19, according to coach Mike Sullivan. He was withheld from practice in Cranberry on Tuesday and placed into the NHL’s protocols for the virus.
The Penguins recalled Joseph as well as three other players from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL) and designated them to the taxi squad Tuesday morning. Joseph tested positive upon arrival.
Sullivan did not specify if Joseph has been experiencing symptoms. Joseph played as recently as Monday night in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s 4-1 home loss to the rival Hershey Bears.
Joseph, 22, has appeared in four NHL games this season with no points and an average of 18 minutes, 14 seconds of ice time. In 16 AHL games this season, he leads all of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s defensemen with 11 points (three goals, eight assists).
Tuesday morning, Joseph was recalled along with forward Kasper Bjorkqvist, goaltender Louis Domingue and defenseman Juuso Riikola.
Notes:
• Sullivan indicated things were status quo for the team’s other six players — forwards Teddy Blueger, Evan Rodrigues and Dominik Simon, defensemen John Marino and Mike Matheson and goaltender Tristan Jarry — already in protocols for covid-19.
“Nothing’s changed with respect to their symptoms or lack thereof from (Monday),” Sullivan said. “Most of them are all asymptomatic. A couple of them have very mild symptoms. So we’re fortunate in that regard.”
• Forward Jake Guentzel rejoined the team after missing Monday’s practice because of an undisclosed illness not related to covid-19. He remains on injured reserve because of a right hand injury he suffered on Dec. 6 but practiced in a full capacity Tuesday.
• Forward Jason Zucker was officially placed on injured reserve. On Monday, Sullivan indicated Zucker would be sidelined on a “week-to-week” basis due to an undisclosed injury. In 30 games this season, Zucker has 11 points (four goals, seven assists).
• The team’s lines and pairs in practice were:
59 Jake Guentzel - 87 Sidney Crosby - 17 Bryan Rust
43 Danton Heinen - 77 Jeff Carter - 42 Kasperi Kapanen
12 Zach Aston-Reese - 10 Drew O’Connor - 23 Brock McGinn
71 Evgeni Malkin / 20 Kasper Bjorkqvist - 11 Brian Boyle - 18 Sam Lafferty
8 Brian Dumoulin - 58 Kris Letang
28 Marcus Pettersson - 2 Chad Ruhwedel
50 Juuso Riikola - 52 Mark Friedman
• The top power-play unit included Carter, Crosby, Guentzel, Letang and Rust. The second power-play unit involved Heinen, Kapanen, Malkin, O’Connor and Pettersson.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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