Penguins recall forward Drew O'Connor from taxi squad
The Pittsburgh Penguins formally recalled forward Drew O’Connor from their taxi squad.
One of the organization’s top prospects, O’Connor could make his NHL debut Tuesday with a road game against the Boston Bruins.
O’Connor, 22, has been a member of the Penguins for roughly 10 months having signed a two-year entry-level contract with the team in March.
A native of Chatham, N.J., O’Connor was signed after a dominant sophomore season at Dartmouth in 2019-20. In 30 NCAA games, O’Connor had 32 points (21 goals, 11 assists).
While most leagues in North America were on hiatus throughout the fall, O’Connor was loaned to Manglerud Star of Norway’s Eliteserien league. In seven games for Manglerud, O’Connor had 10 points (six goals, four assists).
Notes:
• Goaltender Tristan Jarry is scheduled to start for the Penguins. In four games this season, Jarry has a 2-2-0 record, a 4.28 goals against average and an .849 save percentage.
• Penguins coach Mike Sullivan was asked about defenseman Mike Matheson, currently on injured reserve due to an undisclosed ailment, participating in an optional morning skate.
“The fact that Mike is on the ice and has made the trip is encouraging,” Sullivan said. “It suggests that he’s getting closer to a return to play. His status has not changed.”
• Sullivan gave a hearty endorsement of the NHL’s adoption of two-game series during this pandemic-shortened season:
“I like it a lot,” Sullivan said. “We’ve talked about it as a coaching staff. We all like it. It almost takes on kind of a mini-playoff format. There’s some emotions that carry over game to game. Logistically, I think it makes sense. You don’t feel like you’re living out of your suitcase, so to speak, going from city to city. It would not surprise me if the league adopted this moving forward. But we’ve really enjoyed the two-game sets and playing the same team.”
• Penguins defenseman Cody Ceci is expected to play in his 500th career game.
• The Bruins are expected to start goaltender Tuukka Rask. In three games this season, Rask has a 2-1-0 record with a 2.23 goals against average and an .892 save percentage.
• Bruins forward Nick Ritchie is expected to play in his 300th career 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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