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Malkin Scores In His Return, Luke Scores Lone Goal In 4-1 Loss

  Photo: Andrew MacLean The Devils took on the Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday, January 8th, where they were defeated 4-1, taking their third straight loss. The New Jersey team has been struggling lately, with one of their recent games ending in a 9-0 loss against the New York Islanders. Luke Hughes scored the lone goal for the Devils, preventing a shutout for Stuart Skinner while giving the team something to build on. For the Penguins, this is their sixth straight win. In his return after missing 15 games, Evgeni Malkin scored for Pittsburgh in their 4-1 victory. Erik Karlsson, Connor Dewar, and Blake Lizotte also scored for the Penguins. The Devils head to Winnipeg on Sunday to take on the Jets to hopefully make a comeback, while the Penguins host the Calgary Flames on Saturday, looking to extend their streak to seven. New Jersey Devils Lineup: Hughes - Hischier - Bratt Meier - Mercer - Gritsyuk Cotter - Glass - Brown Palat - Glendening - Noesen Siegenthaler - Hamilton H...

Penguins Recall Ville Koivunen And Rutger McGroarty

 







With only eight games left in a fading season and the playoff picture growing increasingly distant amidst a frustrating cycle of wins and losses, punctuated by a current three-game skid, the Pittsburgh Penguins, in a move signaling a potential shift towards evaluating their future, recalled a few of their top prospects from the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Friday, March 28.


Those recalls included forwards Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty.


With their playoff hopes hanging by a thread, these call-ups represent a last-ditch effort to inject fresh energy into a struggling lineup.

Pivotal offensive forces within the Penguins' development system, Koivunen and McGroarty, played integral roles in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins' offensive surge, securing their Calder Cup playoff berth, before now bringing their talents to Pittsburgh.



In 62 games played with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, during his first season in North America, Koivunen leads the team with 55 points (21 goals, 34 assists). He also has been one of the top scorers in the league, sitting in first place among rookies. With a remarkable 55 points, good for sixth in the AHL, Koivunen brings a significant offensive boost to the Penguins' lineup.

The 21-year-old was officially acquired in the Jake Guentzel trade at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline. He was originally a second-round draft pick (51st overall) of the Carolina Hurricanes.



In 60 games played with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, McGroarty has 39 points (14 goals, 25 assists). To kick off the 2024-25 season, he appeared in three NHL games in the Pittsburgh lineup, not scoring a point and was minus-one. Starting on February 15th, McGroarty's production has surpassed all of his WBS teammates, accumulating 18 points, which is two more than Koivunen's total in that span.

The soon-to-be 21-year-old (March 30th) was acquired over the offseason in a deal that sent Brayden Yager to the Winnipeg Jets. He was originally a first-round pick by the Jets in the 2022 NHL Draft and was selected 14th overall. He spent the 2023-24 season finishing his college career with the University of Michigan.






The final chapter of this Penguins' season is now being written, with these new additions playing a key role.

Comments

  1. You write very well, keep it up. I believe you'll get somewhere one day. 😁

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