Pittsburgh Penguins reveal lineup for their preseason game against the Columbus Blue Jackets
Photo credit: Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports
For their next to last preseason game, the Pittsburgh Penguins travel to Columbus to face-off against the Blue Jackets.
After losing their preseason game at home on Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings, the Penguins are looking to bounce back tonight.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are on the road facing the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena, a team coming off a strong win against the St. Louis Blues. The Blue Jackets are looking to give a strong final push as they're playing in their final preseason game before the regular season commences.
With Nedeljkovic sidelined, the depth of the Penguins' goaltending is put to the test early.
"It's unfortunate anytime a teammate gets injured, but that's the times where opportunities come for other guys,» Blomqvist said. «So, take it day by day and do my best if the opportunity comes."
After playing in his native Finland, the 22-year-old is starting his second professional hockey season in North America. Blomqvist is coming off a tremendous rookie campaign with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, getting named an AHL All-Star.
«He's been awesome,» Jarry said. «He's a great goalie, and we're obviously excited. It's never good when someone goes down, but I think Joel's ready, and it'll be exciting.»
In relation to resiliency, Jarry, a 2013 second-round selection by Pittsburgh who is in his second season of a five-year contract, is expected to recover from a challenging year for the Penguins. Though he struggled with consistency, Jarry became the first goalie in Penguins history to score a goal and was tied for the NHL lead with six shutouts.
«I want to be better,» said the two-time NHL All-Star in 2020 and '22. «I think the two seasons prior to last, I was good, but I think I could be better. And I think even last year, I had some stretches where I was good and I had some stretches where I could have improved. I think just being more consistent will help the team and help us generate more wins.»
We won't be seeing any of the veterans for tonight's game as the Penguins and head coach Mike Sullivan are testing the young guns before the season begins. With many injuries piling up it's safe to say, they don't want to risk losing any more star players.
Checkout the lineup for the Penguins' preseason game below:
GOALIES
31 - Filip Larsson
35 - Tristan Jarry
DEFENSE
4 - Nathan Clurman
5 - Ryan Shea
7 - John Ludvig
25 - Sebastian Aho
38 - Owen Pickering
45 - Harrison Brunicke
82 - Filip Kral
FORWARDS
2 - Rutger McGroarty
12 - Corey Andonovski
13 - Kevin Hayes
14 - Boko Imama
15 - Joona Koppanen
18 - Jesse Puljujarvi
22 - Sam Poulin
26 - Tristan Broz
41 - Ville Koivunen
44 - Jonathan Gruden
48 - Valtteri Puustinen
52 - Emil Bemstrom
31 - Filip Larsson
35 - Tristan Jarry
DEFENSE
4 - Nathan Clurman
5 - Ryan Shea
7 - John Ludvig
25 - Sebastian Aho
38 - Owen Pickering
45 - Harrison Brunicke
82 - Filip Kral
FORWARDS
2 - Rutger McGroarty
12 - Corey Andonovski
13 - Kevin Hayes
14 - Boko Imama
15 - Joona Koppanen
18 - Jesse Puljujarvi
22 - Sam Poulin
26 - Tristan Broz
41 - Ville Koivunen
44 - Jonathan Gruden
48 - Valtteri Puustinen
52 - Emil Bemstrom
This is the lineup that the Penguins are facing off:
In this game, Columbus has chosen to go with a more star-studded lineup, which will put some of Pittsburgh's young players to the test.
The Penguins' stars are reportedly going to play in the "dress rehearsal" game on Friday, but that doesn't mean there aren't any interesting storylines in Thursday's game.
The game will be accessible on the Pittsburgh Penguins website, and the puck will drop at 7:00 p.m. Fans can tune in to the game on 105.9 the X and the Penguins app. There's no coverage on television.
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