Penguins are gearing up for the variable times they will have to deal with in the bubble by having their fourth and final intro-squad start at 12 noon. This comes a few days after a Thursday night scrimmage at 7pm.
This week’s theme has been the return to availability of some key pieces. Patric Hornqvist has practiced with the entire team for the first time in Phase 3 and took his expected spot on the third line. Even better, Sidney Crosby joined the team for a full practice yesterday, after a few days of skating on his own.
It will be interesting to see if they keep Crosby on the side of extreme caution or if they let him prove his problem. Crosby played for part of the team’s first scrimmage, but after the first period’s break it didn’t last long when they restarted.
This is the last ice event for the team, they will be leaving their families for an unknown length of stay in Toronto tomorrow before settling down and earning an exhibition game against Philly next week. Then the main event begins a week from today with the Penguins and Montreal Canadiens beginning their series of five qualifying rounds.
