Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith remains 'day to day'
Penguins backup goaltender Casey DeSmith did not skate Sunday morning prior to his team’s opening playoff game against the New York Islanders at PPG Paints Arena.
Sidelined since suffering an undisclosed injury May 3, he remains “day to day” according to coach Mike Sullivan who stopped short of outright ruling DeSmith out of the lineup.
Should DeSmith not dress, reserve goaltender Maxime Lagace is expected to serve as the backup to starter Tristan Jarry.
Notes:
• Sullivan declined to get into specifics as to the status of forward Evgeni Malkin and declared his entire lineup as a “game-time decision.” Malkin is believed to be laboring with a right knee injury that recently sidelined him for 23 games. While he practiced Saturday, he did not participate in line rushes or power-play drills.
• Forward Brandon Tanev was activated from long-term injured reserve Saturday. He has not played since April 3 due to an undisclosed injury.
Presuming Tanev is in the lineup Sunday, his blend of speed and tenacious checking will be welcomed by his team:
“(Tanev) is an important player for us,” Sullivan said via video conference Sunday morning. “He just brings so much energy, he brings a physical dimension, he brings another speed element to our game whether it’s on the forecheck or on the penalty kill or things of that nature. He’s just a real effective player for us, he’s an important player for us to try to establish the type of game that we’re trying to play consistently. And his energy is contagious. He’s a well-liked teammate. I know our players, when he’s in our locker room and he’s on our bench, he just brings so much juice to the environment. He’s a passionate guy and he brings a lot of energy to our group.
“When he’s in our lineup, I know we’re a better hockey team.”
• The Penguins recalled goaltender Alex D’Orio from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL). In 11 AHL games this season, D’Orio had a 6-3-1 record, a 2.18 goals against average and a .915 save percentage.
• Jarry is slated to start his second career postseason game. This past regular season, he appeared in 39 games, had a 25-9-3 record, a 2.75 goals against average, a .909 save percentage and two shutouts.
• The Islanders are expected to start goaltender Semyon Varlamov. In 36 games this regular season, Varlamov had a 19-11-4 record, a 2.04 goals against average, a .929 save percentage and a league-leading seven shutouts.
While Varlamov had a fine regular season overall, he largely struggled against the Penguins. In seven contests versus the Penguins, Varlamov was 1-3-2 with a 2.86 goals against average and an .897 save percentage.
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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