Nick Bjugstad, Bryan Rust participate in Penguins' morning skate
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ morning skate at PPG Paints Arena on Friday featured a rarity.
Actual players on the ice.
As they get deeper into the regular season, the Penguins have opted to make their morning skates optional and the vast majority of players — at least those who aren’t destined to be healthy scratches — have vigorously opted to employ that option.
On Friday, prior to their game against the Dallas Stars, plenty of their regulars took the ice. They just haven’t played regularly over the past week-plus.
Injured forwards Nick Bjugstad, Bryan Rust and defenseman Zach Trotman participated in the optional skate along with healthy defensemen Erik Gudbranson, Juuso Riikola and Chad Ruhwedel. The latter three are expected to be scratched Friday night.
Goaltenders Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry also skated.
Bjugstad has not played since suffering an undisclosed injury Oct. 5. He is on injured reserve. Rust (suspected left hand) and Trotman (sports hernia) each began the season on long-term injured reserve.
Additionally, forwards Evgeni Malkin and Alex Galchenyuk each worked out on the ice prior to the morning skate. Malkin has not played since Oct. 5 while Galchenyuk has been sidelined since Oct. 8. Both players are also on injured reserve with undisclosed ailments.
“Obviously, the fact that they’re on the ice suggests they’re at another stage in their rehab process,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “They’re getting closer, and that’s encouraging from our standpoint. Hopefully, it will be sooner than later that we start get some of these guys back.”
Notes:
• Forward Jared McCann, who missed Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime victory at home against the Colorado Avalanche, is considered a game-time decision, according to Sullivan.
• Murray is expected to start.
• Presumably, that would mean Jarry is expected to start for Saturday’s home game against the Vegas Golden Knights and former Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.
• Stars forward Blake Comeau (undisclosed), a former Penguin, and defenseman Stephen Johns (head), a native of Wampum, are on injured reserve.
• Stars backup goaltender Anton Khudobin is scheduled to start.
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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