The Pittsburgh Penguins have started off their California road swing even at 1-1 so far, and they will look to come out with a winning record when they face the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.
And, as has been customary up to this point in the season, it appears more lineup tweaks may be on the horizon.
With teenage rookies Harrison Brunicke and Ben Kindel getting the occasional lineup scratches for developmental purposes, both the defense corps and the forward unit is seeing changes game-in and game-out. Both rookies appear slated to be in the lineup Saturday.
During Friday’s team practice in Los Angeles, these are the lines and pairings that the Penguins rolled with:
Forwards
Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust
Anthony Mantha – Evgeni Malkin – Justin Brazeau
Tommy Novak – Ben Kindel – Filip Hallander
Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Noel Acciari
Extra: Philip Tomasino
Despite Healthy Scratches, ‘Development Plan’ Could Be Good Sign For Two Top Penguins’ Prospects
Even if the Penguins sideline top prospects Brunicke and Kindel for “development,” this strategic move signals a long-term commitment – possibly defying expectations of a return to juniors for both players.
Defensemen
Parker Wotherspoon – Erik Karlsson
Ryan Shea – Kris Letang
Caleb Jones – Harrison Brunicke
Extras: Connor Clifton, Matt Dumba
Goaltenders
Arturs Silovs
Tristan Jarry
It’s unclear who will get the starting nod in goal against the Sharks. But, with Kindel in, Tomasino appears to be out, and with Brunicke in for a second consecutive game, Clifton and Dumba appear to be the odd men out on the blue line again.
Both Clifton and Dumba have appeared in only one of the five games for the Penguins this season, which was a 4-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.
Should Silovs Be The Penguins’ Starting Goaltender?
Heading into the 2025-26 season, Pittsburgh Penguins’ head coach said Dan Muse that he didn’t have a concrete plan for the goaltending split between Tristan Jarry and Arturs Silovs.
Other notes:
– Assuming both Brunicke, 19, and Kindel, 18, play Saturday in San Jose, they will both be suiting up for their fifth game with the Penguins. Since both of them are juniors-eligible, they can play in up to nine NHL games before the first year of their respective three-year entry-level contracts kick in.
It’s unclear what the long-term plan is for either player this season, but if they’re in the lineup Saturday, they will only have four games left before some tough decisions need to be made by management.
– Kevin Hayes – who has been out since training camp with an upper-body injury – did make the Western trip with the Penguins but has yet to take line rushes with the team at practice.
In order to activate Hayes from injured reserve and place him on the NHL roster, the Penguins would have to clear a roster spot, as they are already at full 23-man capacity.
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A couple of former Pittsburgh Penguins players from last season are off to solid starts this year, while another is looking to shrug off a slow start.
– Pittsburgh could face former Penguins’ netminder Alex Nedeljkovic for the first time since his trade to San Jose over the summer. In 76 games with the Penguins, Nedeljkovic went 32-22-12 with two shutouts, an .898 save percentage, and three points – including a goal.
In two games with San Jose this season, Nedeljkovic is 0-1-1 with an .878 save percentage and 4.45 goals-against average.
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