Another busy three-game week is on the horizon before the team enters the All-Star break. The Penguins got off on the wrong foot to start their three-game weekend, falling behind early and playing catch up for most of the night in Utica. However, strong play in net by Sergei Murashov kept the team afloat until they settled into the final 40 minutes. I think it was one of those games [where] we thought we were just going to put our skates on [and have success].
I just wanted to help my team win. In the tail end of a three-in-three weekend for both teams, the Penguins jumped out to a lead in the first period and never looked back. Ville is only getting better, and he does a great job distributing pucks. The way he slows the game down to his pace and can find guys. Mac Hollowell goal, assist recorded his first goal of the season with two seconds left in the first period, while Avery Hayes also scored a crucial goal late in the first period.
I thought our play in the defensive zone was really good. We killed a lot of plays. Defenseman Jack St. Ivany said. Imama made the cross-country flight, arriving in time to make his NHL Penguins debut in Seattle on Saturday afternoon. He was officially called up to Pittsburgh Monday, joining the team for their game day skate in San Jose.
The roster changes required Pittsburgh to reassign one of their eight defensemen back to the Penguins. Or do you want to eventually be a 20 to 24 minute a guy up there? Halfway through the regular season the Penguins appear to have adapted well immediately under first-year head AHL head coach MacDonald. Rookie forward Ville Koivunen leads all rookies in the league with 22 assists, while his 32 points are second-best. First year forward Rutger McGroarty has 18 points six goals, 12 assists in his last 26 games, and year-old forward Vasily Ponomarev has been at a point-per-game pace after recovering from a preseason injury.
The Penguins sit in fourth place in the Atlantic Division heading into the final week of January before the AHL All-Star break, but have played fewer games than the teams in front of them in the standings. In fact, the Penguins have won a higher percentage of their games than every team in the Atlantic Division, except for the Hershey Bears.
