Penguins to allow almost 5,000 fans once attendance limits change
The Pittsburgh Penguins plan to welcome almost 5,000 fans per game to PPG Paints Arena as soon as revamped limits on the size of gatherings in Pennsylvania take effect.
On Monday, Gov. Tom Wolf announced changes to pandemic-related attendance restrictions that limited indoor sporting events to 15% of capacity. Arenas soon may be filled to 25% of capacity.
The Penguins plan to allow close to 5,000 fans for the first home game after the new limits take effect April 4. That’s an April 15 meeting with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Under the current regulations, the Penguins are allowing an official total of 2,800 fans per game.
In a statement, the team called the change “great news for the Penguins and our fans.”
“We are coordinating very closely with UPMC on our plan to increase to 25 percent capacity from the current 15 percent, using lessons learned during the first five games,” the statement read. “We are still working out the details of the new order, but our plan is to welcome just under 5,000 fans when the Penguins play host to the Philadelphia Flyers on April 15.”
The Penguins played their first eight home games of the season with a mostly empty venue and were not permitted to open the facility to ticket sales until March 2.
Their last game with full capacity was March 8, 2020.
Banged-up on blue line
Defensemen Mark Friedman, John Marino and Jared McCann remain sidelined because of undisclosed injuries.
According to Sullivan, Marino and McCann worked on the ice prior to Monday’s morning skate with skating and skills development coach Ty Hennes while Friedman participated in the morning skate.
Sullivan labeled all three as “making progress.”
Marino has missed the past two games. In 25 games this season, he has four points (one goal, three assists).
McCann has missed the past three games. In 17 games this season, he has 10 points (five goals, five assists).
Friedman has missed the past five games. In two games with the Penguins this season, he has two points (one goal, one assist).
McCann and Friedman are on injured reserve along with forward Jason Zucker.
Ceci seeing clearly
With six points (two goals, four assists) in 24 games this season, Penguins defenseman Cody Ceci almost has matched the offensive production he generated — eight points (one goal, seven assists) — in 56 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season.
For the past handful of games, Ceci and Mike Matheson have formed the team’s second defensive pairing.
“Cody’s done a nice job for us,” Sullivan said. “He’s getting a lot more comfortable within our team concept and how we’re trying to play. He’s done a really good job of joining the rush. He’s helping us on the breakouts. He’s defending hard. He’s done a nice job on both sides of the puck. A lot of it is he’s just getting more comfortable with his surroundings, both with his teammates, his coaches and, in particular, with how we’re trying to play and some of the details associated with that.”
Signed to a one-year deal with a salary cap hit of $1.25 million, Ceci has averaged 17 minutes, 53 seconds of ice time this season.
Scratches
In addition to Marino, the Penguins scratched forward Sam Lafferty and defenseman Juuso Riikola for Monday’s home game against the Boston Bruins.
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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