Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to play in third period against Blue Jackets
Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is scheduled to play in the the third period of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ home preseason game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday.
Prospect Sergei Murashov is slated to be in net for the first two periods.
Fleury, who signed a ceremonial professional tryout contract earlier this month in order to unofficially retire as a member of the Penguins, indicated he was offered a choice as to when he could play in Saturday’s contest.
“They (coaches) asked me if I wanted the first or third (period),” Fleury said following a morning skate in Cranberry. “I thought in the first, I would be a little warm or loose after warming up. Then, I thought in the third … winning the game, that’s something I want to be able to do again.
“I would love to just be able to win a game.”
The 40-year-old Fleury, who formally retired as a member of the Minnesota Wild after last season, has the second-most career goaltending wins in NHL history with a record of 575-339-97.
As for Murashov, this will be his second appearance of the preseason. During a 2-1 shootout road loss to the Montreal Canadiens, Murashov stopped 19 of 20 shots in regulation and overtime of that contest.
Notes:
• The Penguins’ morning skate was optional.
• The lineup of players announced by the team:
Forwards — Justin Brazeau, Tristan Broz, Sidney Crosby, Filip Hallander, Rafael Harvey-Pinard, Avery Hayes, Boko Imama, Ben Kindel, Ville Koivunen, Evgeni Malkin, Anthony Mantha, Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust.
Defensemen — Harrison Brunicke, Finn Harding, Caleb Jones, Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, Owen Pickering, Parker Wotherspoon
Goaltenders — Marc-Andre Fleury, Sergei Murashov
• Forward Joona Koppanen practiced with a non-game group of players. He has been labeled as “day to day’ due to an undisclosed injury.
• The Blue Jackets announced their scheduled lineup:
Forwards - Yegor Chinakov, Luca Del Bel Belluz, Hudson Fasching, Brendan Gaunce, Oliva Keskinen, James Malatesta, Max McCue, Mathieu Olivier, Lucas Pinelli, Mikael Pyyhtia, Cole Sillinger, Jack Williams
Defensemen - Jake Christensen, Corson Ceulemans, Erik Gudbranson, Daemon Hunt, Brendan Smith, Stanislav Svozil
Goaltenders - Nolan Lalonde, Elvis Merzlikins
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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