Penguins forwards Zach Aston-Reese, Jake Guentzel ruled out for season opener
Penguins forwards Zach Aston-Reese and Jake Guentzel were ruled out for their team’s season-opening road game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, coach Mike Sullivan said.
Both tested positive for covid-19 during the team’s recently completed training camp. Aston-Reese rejoined the team for a morning skate Saturday in Cranberry, and both participated in practice Monday. It was Guentzel’s first time on the ice with teammates since the team announced his positive test Oct. 3.
Aston-Reese’s positive test was revealed Sept. 27.
Per NHL protocols, all players who test positive must be placed in isolation for 10 days. Any vaccinated players who are asymptomatic and test negative on two consecutive days may be released from isolation early.
Previously, Sullivan had described Aston-Reese’s symptoms as “mild” while Guentzel was asymptomatic.
Both players are expected to travel with the team for its two-game road trip to Tampa and Sunrise, Fla., where they will face the Florida Panthers on Thursday.
“Those guys will not play (Monday) in Tampa,” Sullivan said. “That’s for sure. From there, we’ll see how Zach and Jake progress off the covid protocol stuff.”
Notes:
• Rookie forward Radim Zohorna was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL). In three games this preseason, Zohorna had one goal.
• The team is expected to sign veteran forward Brian Boyle to a one-year contract worth a league minimum of $750,000 ahead of the NHL’s deadline to submit season-opening rosters by 5 p.m. Monday. Boyle participated in training camp on a professional tryout contract (PTO). In four games this preseason, Boyle had no points and five shots. He is slated to open the season as the team’s fourth-line center.
• Sullivan reiterated it is unlikely forward Sidney Crosby will play in either game on the road trip. Crosby underwent surgery for his left wrist Sept. 8 and was scheduled to be sidelined a minimum of six weeks. He skated with the team during Saturday’s morning skate as well as Monday’s practice and is expected to travel with the team for the road trip.
• During Monday’s practice in Cranberry, the team’s lines and defensive pairings were:
43 Danton Heinen – 77 Jeff Carter – 17 Bryan Rust
16 Jason Zucker – 9 Evan Rodrigues – 42 Kasperi Kapanen
23 Brock McGinn – 59 Teddy Blueger – 49 Dominik Simon
10 Drew O’Connor – 11 Brian Boyle – 18 Sam Lafferty
8 Brian Dumoulin - 58 Kris Letang
5 Mike Matheson – 6 John Marino
28 Marcus Pettersson – 2 Chad Ruhwedel
• The top power-play unit included Carter, Kapanen, Letang, Rust and Zucker. The second power-play group involved Heinen, Marino, Matheson, Rodrigues and Simon.
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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