Storylines
1. Lineup (updated at 11:25 a.m.)
Sabers coach Lindy Ruff announced that JJ Petrka will be in the lineup after missing the last two games due to a concussion. Petrka had been training with the team since October 9 and spent Monday and Tuesday skating alongside Taj Thompson and Alex Tuch.
Petrka led the Sabers with four goals in three exhibition games after scoring 28 goals last season.
“JJ is a talented scorer,” Ruff said. “I thought that line had good chemistry while we were using it. So, again, we’re lacking a little bit of finish. I think JJ gives us that extra layer of finish.”
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will start in goal. Luukkonen made 106 saves of 112 shots in three games against the Penguins last season (.946 save percentage), including a 40-save win at Pittsburgh on Jan. 6.
2. Let’s get physical
The Sabers have made it tough to play against since the offseason, when they brought in Roofe as coach and added a trio of heavy hitters to the roster in Beck Malensteen, Sam Lafferty, and Nicholas Obi-Koppell. They doubled down on this initiative with tough competitive practices throughout training camp and the start of the season.
The early returns were clear. The Sabers rank second in the NHL with an average of 28.00 hits per 60 minutes. Their total hits of 112 are tied for fourth place.
Mallenstein is tied for ninth in the league with 14 hits, and is one of four Sabers to hit in double figures along with Jordan Greenway (12), Mattias Samuelsson (11) and Dylan Cousins (10).
In recent days, Ruff has discussed how the fitness mandate doesn’t mean running around and chasing hits (although it does include finishing checks when the opportunity presents itself). It’s more about using physicality to slow down opponents in transition and kill plays defensively.
“We talk about everyone being physically involved,” Ruff said. “Like cutting people off in the neutral zone, getting in front of people, finishing in the D. I like what we did in the D where we get out quick, and it starts with the physical interaction with the guy in the corner.
3. Explore penguins
Pittsburgh rebounded from a 6-0 loss to open its season by taking two of three games on its final road trip, thanks in large part to the play of Evgeni Malkin.
Malkin enters Wednesday tied for the NHL lead with six assists. His seven points tied for fourth place. He assisted on goals for Kris Letang and Rickard Rakell and then added an empty-netter in a 6-3 win over Montreal on Tuesday.
Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan turned attention to Malkin’s evolving defensive game in his postgame comments to the media after the win in Montreal.
“I think he looks solid,” Sullivan said, according to the Penguins website. “He’s in great form. I think he’s trying to play the game the right way. We talked to him a lot about certain aspects of his game. We can see him making a concerted effort to try to play the game the right way.”
“We’ve asked him to cut down on his skating a little bit in the defensive zone, or his play off the puck, and not play so much in motion. I think he’s trying to do that when the time comes for it. But I think he looks really solid, and he still has the ability to control the game.” At certain points in time.
