The three-day holiday break was a much-needed hiatus and reset for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who had won just one of their previous 10 games and are 3-5-4 in the month of December.
And it also appears to have offered space for some injured Penguins to heal and, ultimately, rejoin the team.
Centers Blake Lizotte and Evgeni Malkin - who were both placed on injured reserve back on Dec. 9 - both skated on Saturday. Malkin skated on his own prior to team practice, and Lizotte was a full participant in practice, including slotting in at fourth-line center during line rushes.
Both players have been sorely missed in the Penguins' lineup, as the team is 1-5-4 in the 10 games that they have missed Malkin and 1-5-3 in the nine since Lizotte went down.
With Lizotte appearing primed for a return - potentially, on Sunday against the Chicago Blackhawks - it will be a welcome thing for a team that has struggled defensively as of late.
"I think it starts with just that energy he plays with," head coach Dan Muse said. "I mean, it's contagious. And I think he's able to, because of the way he plays, a lot of times, he's creating momentum for our team. Whether it's the way he tracks and strips, or just stays on pucks, blocks shots... he does a lot of little things there that go a long way and that are greatly appreciated in the locker room."
5 Things The Penguins Should Ask For This Holiday SeasonThe Pittsburgh Penguins could use a boost right now - and there are some things that they should add to their holiday wishlist to help them get back in the thick of the playoff raceLizotte also figures to rejoin a fourth line that was creating a lot of momentum for the Penguins prior to his injury, as they are able to hone a lot of the details on both sides of the puck to generate chances and help dictate play.
"The way they're able to create momentum in different ways," Muse said. "Sometimes, it's blocking a shot in the d-zone, their ability to get in on the forecheck... and I think just being able to recover pucks off the forecheck, also create off the forecheck. There's an energy there when they're going. They're also a line that they'll start in the d-zone a lot - and in the o-zone - which is always a big benefit."
Muse said there is nothing new to report on Malkin and that he is "status quo."
Promising Goaltending Tandem Leading Way For WBS PenguinsThe Pittsburgh Penguins may be struggling at the NHL level, but they have two promising goaltending prospects waiting in the wings and dominating the AHL- The Penguins' lines and pairings largely remained the same despite the team's uneven effort in a 6-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Dec. 23. Lizotte slotted back in for Hayes, but the top-nine remained intact - as did the defensive corps:
Forwards
Rickard Rakell - Sidney Crosby - Bryan Rust
Anthony Mantha - Tommy Novak - Justin Brazeau
Rutger McGroarty - Ben Kindel - Ville Koivunen
Connor Dewar - Lizotte - Noel Acciari
(Danton Heinen, Kevin Hayes)
Defensemen
Parker Wotherspoon - Erik Karlsson
Brett Kulak - Kris Letang
Ryan Shea - Jack St. Ivany
(Ryan Graves-Connor Clifton)
Goaltenders
Stuart Skinner, Arturs Silovs
Takeaways: Penguins' Push Comes Up Short, Maple Leafs' Stars Come Up BigAfter a dramatic 4-3 shootout win against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday, the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> hoped to carry some of that momentum into their final game before the holiday break on Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
- The holiday break probably came at just the right time for the Penguins, as their December hasn't quite gone the way that they had hoped. Despite their recent struggles, though, they still only remain three points out of a playoff spot, but they are also just three points out of the basement of the Eastern Conference.
The break, hopefully, gave them a chance to reset and build off of some of the momentum they seized during their shootout win against the Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 21 and during some of their finer moments in the loss against the Leafs.
"Hockey is weird that way," Justin Brazeau said. "When I first came back, the Dallas game and then the Anaheim game, for 59 or whatever it was minutes of it, was pretty good hockey. I thought we were doing a lot of good things, and stuff like that [last-second goal] can kind of take the confidence and stuff out of the group."
Takeaways: In Storybook Fashion, Penguins Snap Eight-Game Skid On Crosby's Historic NightThe Pittsburgh Penguins earned a much-needed win over the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night - and Sidney Crosby made some history along the way.Brazeau also said that, despite the recent stretch of games, the locker room is still very much intact and focused on getting back to the game that worked for them earlier on in the season.
"There's no panic setting in," Brazeau said. "I think we all think we can get back to the way we were playing. And in a lot of those games, too, they're losses, but we were up by three or four goals going into the third. So, we were obviously doing things the right way leading up to that, we just kind of maybe took the foot off the gas a little bit. I think that's a mental thing, too, where it's like, it happens one game, and then the next game, it happens again, and it's kind of like, 'oh boy, here we go.'
"I think the locker room's been great. It helps when you have guys like Sid and stuff around who have kind of seen it all throughout their careers. They've seen the highs and the lows, and I think it's about staying as even-keel as possible."
Crosby Reaches Milestone For Second Consecutive GameThe big milestone may have come for <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' captain Sidney Crosby on Sunday against the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens">Montreal Canadiens</a>, when he surpassed Mario Lemieux <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/breaking-sidney-crosby-breaks-mario-lemieux-s-franchise-record-to-become-penguins-all-time-leader-in-points">to become the Penguins' all-time leader in points</a>.
Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!
The Buffalo Sabres hope to resume their winning ways after the Christmas holiday break against the Boston Bruins at KeyBank Center on Saturday, but will have to do it without Rasmus Dahlin. The Sabres team captain travelled to Sweden to visit his fiancee over the break, and is making his way back to Buffalo. Head coach Lindy Ruff indicated it was doubtful that he would play against Boston, but that he should be back for the club’s upcoming three-game road trip starting in St. Louis on Monday.
Bowen Byram, who had three points and the game-winning overtime goal in Ottawa on Tuesday moved to the top pairing with Mattias Samuelsson at the club’s morning skate on Saturday and quarterbacked the first power-play unit. Jacob Bryson and Zach Metsa will play against the Bruins, and defenseman Ryan Johnson has been recalled from AHL Rochester.
Other Sabres Stories
Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere
Guerin Gathering Info On Possible Olympic Options
Forward Jason Zucker skated with the club for the first time since being injured in Calgary on December 8, the last time the Sabres lost. The veteran winger indicated that he is unsure how long it will be before he returns to the lineup, and that he might not travel with the club next week, but said in jest that there is no hurry.
"They got rid of the dead weight,” Zucker said. “ "It's been fun to watch, obviously terrible watching, but it's been great to see the guys playing really well throughout the lineup, everyone from goaltenders on out, are playing really well."
In a bit of a surprise, the Sabres will not be starting Alex Lyon – winner of six straight –, but will instead go with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen between the pipes. Luukkonen started in the 3-1 win in New Jersey on December 21, but is .500 (5-5-1) on the year. The Bruins did not skate on Saturday, do to travel restrictions because of the holiday break, and according to Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe, backup Joonas Korpisalo will start for the Bruins.
Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo
