Forward Sam Lafferty returns to the Penguins' lineup
With forward Brian Boyle sidelined by an undisclosed injury, the Penguins inserted reserve forward Sam Lafferty into their lineup for Friday’s home game against the Buffalo Sabres at PPG Paints Arena.
It was only Lafferty’s eighth game of the season. He has been a healthy scratch for 22 of the team’s 28 games in 2021-22. His most recent action came during a 5-2 road loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 1.
Lafferty opened Friday’s contest as the center of the fourth line with Drew O’Connor at left wing and Dominik Simon on the right wing.
A native of Hollidaysburg, Lafferty has taken his infrequent appearances in stride.
“Honestly, I feel pretty good,” Lafferty said. “The games that I’ve been able to play, I feel pretty good about my game. Obviously, practices are like my games right now. Just try to approach it that way and keep trying to get better.
“The biggest thing is you just got to stay positive. You’ve got to keep having fun. That’s the biggest thing. Just keep your emotions up and stay positive. I felt pretty good. In practice, I feel good, so I feel ready whenever I’m needed again.”
Lafferty’s approach to not playing has been appreciated by the coaching staff.
“He’s handled it really well,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “Sam is a really good pro. Him and I have had a number of conversations over our time here when he is out of the lineup and how he can just stay ready and control those things that are within his control. Then he has to trust the coaching staff is going to do our very best to help him along the way. … We’re trying to put a lineup on the ice each and every night that gives us the best chance to win. Sam is always part of that conversation.
“He brings a certain dimension to our roster when he is in the lineup. He brings a ton of speed, he brings a level of physicality and he’s a guy that can really shoot the puck. We can use him on the penalty kill. So he brings those different aspects to the game when we do have him in the lineup. His speed and his physicality is something that, I think, separates him from others. When he brings that, he’s a very effective player.”
Penguins owners sued over sale
Team Lemieux LLC and Lemieux Group LP, the entities that currently own the Penguins, were named in a lawsuit filed in Delaware by Wildfire Productions LP according to Law 360, an outlet that covers legal matters.
Wildfire Productions, which is part of Lemieux Group, alleges its rights have been violated during the ongoing sale of the Penguins to Fenway Sports Group.
According to Wildfire Productions, it learned of the proposed sale “only 20 minutes before it made headlines” in November and that its consent rights have been ignored with regards to the deal with Fenway Sports Group.
Wildfire claimed current co-owners Ron Burkle and Mario Lemieux attempted to alter the partnership agreement so Team Lemieux would need only a majority of the limited partners’ power to transfer the general partners’ stake to another party.
A spokesperson with the Penguins declined to comment on the suit.
The sale to Fenway Sports Group was formally approved by the NHL’s board of governors last week but has not yet been finalized.
Sullivan supports Robert Morris
Less than an hour after Robert Morris announced it would be reinstating its men’s and women’s hockey programs in 2023, Sullivan, a former player at Boston University, was asked about the development and offered an enthusiastic response of support.
“It’s terrific,” said a beaming Sullivan. “Division I college hockey is a great experience on the men’s side and the women’s side. I can speak from my experience, my college experience at Boston University: It’s four of the best years that I’ve had as a hockey player. For young men and women to have an opportunity to go to Robert Morris and have a similar experience, for me, I think is a win-win.
“I also think Pittsburgh is establishing itself as a hockey market. There are more and more players emerging from the Pittsburgh area to play at high levels of the game. Whether it be Division I college or from the women’s side, some of the national teams. Or from the men’s side. There are players playing in the NHL right now. (Vancouver Canucks forward) J.T. Miller, for example, or (St. Louis Blues forward) Brandon Saad. There’s a number of them (Carolina Hurricanes forward Vince) Trocheck. Those are some guys that come to mind that are from this area.
“The more that we can check the boxes of some of the different levels of the game being played in the Pittsburgh area, I just think it’s going to help more kids get excited about the sport. And I love hockey. I love the sport. It’s a wonderful experience, regardless of what level a kid is able to play at. It’s a great game. The more levels that we perform at in the Pittsburgh area, it’s only going to help more and more kids play the game.”
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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