The Penguins took to the ice for practice on Thursday at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, Pa.

But, no, it was not the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins - Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate - held a practice at the NHL club's regular facility on Thursday, giving fans and media the chance to see some of the organization's best prospects in action.

This was the first time they've been in Pittsburgh since training camp, and a lot has happened since then. WBS is in the midst of a great AHL season, as they clinched a playoff berth against Hartford on Mar. 27 and are looking to make a deep playoff run.

“There’s not many teams that can match our skill level," forward Avery Hayes - who recently signed a two-year entry-level contract - said. "We can all skate, and personally, I feel like we can play any style of game. We’re learning to play a gritty game right now, but I’m confident that we can come playoff time.

"I’m just super excited. We have a close team, which helps... so I’m excited.”

And the Calder Cup run - as well as a chance at a bye - is something that isn't all that surprising when you sense the energy around the group. Many of the players - as well as management and coaches - talked about the close-knit culture in the locker room, which they believe has very much contributed to their success as a group.

WBS Penguins Clinch Playoff Berth With Thrilling 4-3 Overtime Win Over HartfordHeading into a massively important game against the Hartford Wolf Pack, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins had led the season series 5-0 and had outscored Hartford, 24-5.

There is a good mix between veteran leadership and youth, and those relationships have benefitted the group as a whole.

"We have a good group of older players, and they know how to handle the younger players and to be close to us," defenseman Filip Kral said. "So I think that's the main thing. We support each other every day, and that's the biggest thing." 

Head coach Kirk MacDonald also pointed to the veteran support being a crucial aspect of the team's chemistry and success this season.

"I think our leadership group has done an outstanding job showing the young guys what it means to be professionals and how they need to show up every day and work," MacDonald said. "To me, they have a lot of fun together, so it’s a lot easier to show up every day and work hard and compete. Watching practice today was a great example with the energy level. We worked really hard, but they were having a good time. That’s part of it.” 

But it's not just the the players who have fostered an excellent team culture.

“[It's] a mix of a little bit of everything," said Amanda Kessel, who is the manager of minor league operations and assistant general manager of the WBS Penguins. "Great coaching. It’s been great to have Kirk and staff this year. They’ve been unbelievable with our young guys. Spend a lot of time on development. They’re heavily bought into that."

But it certainly helps when the players to have great relationships on and off the ice, especially within a young prospect group that figures to be part of the team's future.

Hayes said the team even gathered together in Charlotte, NC to watch the NHL debut of Ville Koivunen against the Ottawa Senators on Sunday. Rutger McGroarty made his return to the NHL in that game as well.

Crosby Earns OT Winner For 1-0 Win Over Senators On Koivunen's DebutThere was hockey being played on Sunday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, although one might not even know it for how low-event it was.

 “It’s awesome," Hayes said. "We were watching that game, all together, in Charlotte at a restaurant. We’re the biggest fans when they come up, so it’s amazing watching them [in Pittsburgh]. And, hopefully, we don’t get them back until the end of the regular season and we can watch a couple more of their games.”

WBS has a crucial back-to-back set against the Cleveland Monsters on Friday and Saturday. In order to clinch a bye for the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs, they need to leapfrog at least the Charlotte Checkers within the Atlantic Division, as they are currently ranked second behind the Hershey Bears. The top-two teams in the Atlantic clinch a first-round bye.

MacDonald and the rest of the team is aware of how important that bye is, and - despite the Penguins having already clinched a playoff berth - it's giving them a lot to play for during the final stretch of the season.

"It's huge," MacDonald said. "I actually went and looked, and five of the six teams that made the finals in the American League since they changed the playoff format got the bye. We know how important it is. It’s not the end of the world if we have to play a best of three, but we do know it’s important.”

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The Nashville Predators have announced that they have recalled Ozzy Wiesblatt from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.

Wiesblatt, 23, has played in his first four NHL games this season with the Predators, posting one assist, eight hits, and a plus-2 rating. Now, he will aim to impress after earning this latest call-up to the NHL squad. 

Wiesblatt is in the middle of a solid season down in the AHL with the Admirals. In 61 games, he has set new AHL career highs with 14 goals, 23 assists, and 37 points. With this, he has certainly taken a step in the right direction with his development during this campaign.

Wiesblatt was acquired by the Predators during the 2023-24 season from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Egor Afanasyev. In 162 career AHL games, the 2020 first-round pick has 26 goals, 46 assists, 72 points, and 176 penalty minutes. 

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Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is set to return to the lineup tonight against the league-leading Winnipeg Jets.

Pietrangelo has missed the last four games with a lower-body injury. Without the 35-year-old, the Golden Knights have posted a 3-1-0 record.

Pietrangelo has slowly been inching his way to returning, practicing with the team a couple of times, but today's morning skate was the first time he was a full participant and took line rushes alongside Noah Hanifin.

In 67 games, the King City, native has scored four goals and 32 points, ranking third among Golden Knights defensemen in points. His return will provide the Golden Knights with stability on the back end and the veteran voice they've become so accustomed to having. 

Kaedan Korczak has done an admirable job since stepping into the lineup for the injured Shea Theodore. In 35 games, the 24-year-old has recorded 10 assists, 53 hits and 35 blocks, averaging just 15:00 of ice time. It's unfortunate for a player of his calibre to have to watch from the press box, but with the plethora of NHL level defenseman the Golden Knights have at their disposal, it's just the nature of the situation. 

The Jets have the third most goals scored in the NHL, posing a difficult challenge for the Golden Knights. Pietrangelo's timeliness of his return comes at a crucial time. 

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Tomas Hertl Returns To Golden Knights' Practice In Non-Contact JerseyVegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl practiced today in a non-contact jersey for the first time since suffering his injury against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Mar. 23.

ST. LOUIS – When the St. Louis Blues go for a franchise-tying 11-game winning streak on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins (7 p.m.; FDSNMW, ESPN 101.1-FM), they’ll have to do so against the team that last was able to give them an ‘L.’

The Blues (41-28-7) haven’t lost in three weeks to the day, and that last loss on March 13 was against these very same Penguins (30-34-11), by a 6-3 count.

Things have drastically changed for the Blues, who are tied with the Minnesota Wild with identical records and points, with the Wild holding the tie-breaker based on regulation wins (33-30).

But needless to say, the Blues have more than sharpened up since the last time they played the Penguins.

“I didn’t think we were hard enough offensively, we didn’t screen their goalie,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “They did a good job boxing us out. We’ve got to be harder offensively tonight in order to have success. That’s the biggest takeaway.”

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan, who knows a thing or two about taking a team over in mid-season, feels the Blues are a team that’s humming and credits Montgomery for the turnaround.

“He’s done a good job,” Sullivan said. “Obviously they’ve gone on a pretty good run here over the last month-plus. They’re 10-0 in their last 10. I don’t think they’ve lost since the last time we played them. That’s a pretty good run. Monty’s a good coach. He’s done a good job with these guys.”

- - -

The Blues are not changing their lineup from Tuesday’s 2-1 overtime win against the Detroit Red Wings, including playing 2022 first-round pick (No. 23) Jimmy Snuggerud in his second NHL game.

“He impressed me live,” Montgomery said. “It’s just his ability to see the ice really well, made really good decisions and he battled hard.

“I think he’s played real well, looks comfortable. It’s been an easy adjustment to be honest.”

One change to the roster is the Blues assigning 2023 first-rounder and No. 10 pick Dalibor Dvorsky to Springfield of the American Hockey League after the 19-year-old played in his NHL debut on March 23 against the Nashville Predators but has been a healthy scratch in each of the past four games.

“When you’re 19 years old, you need to play games,” Montgomery said. “Right now with our team’s playing so well, I didn’t see the opportunity coming.”

- - -

Blues Projected Lineup:

Jake Neighbours-Robert Thomas-Pavel Buchnevich

Dylan Holloway-Brayden Schenn-Jordan Kyrou

Zack Bolduc-Oskar Sundqvist-Jimmy Snuggerud

Alexey Toropchenko-Radek Faksa-Nathan Walker

Cam Fowler-Nick Leddy

Philip Broberg-Justin Faulk

Ryan Suter-Tyler Tucker

Joel Hofer will start in goal; Jordan Binnington will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Matthew Kessel, Alexandre Texier and Mathieu Joseph. Colton Parayko (knee) is out. Torey Krug (ankle) is out for the season.

- - -

Penguins Projected Lineup:

Rutger McGroarty-Sidney Crosby-Bryan Rust

Connor Dewar-Rickard Rakell-Ville Koivunen

Kevin Hayes-Noel Acciari-Philip Tomasino

Danton Heinen-Blake Lizotte-Joona Koppanen

Matt Grzelcyk-Kris Letang

Conor Timmins-Erik Karlsson

Ryan Graves-Vladislav Kolyachonok

Tristan Jarry will start in goal; Alex Nedeljkovic will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Ryan Shea and Emil Bemstrom. Evgeni Malkin (upper body), P.O Joseph (upper body) and Tommy Novak (lower body) are out.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are in Missouri to face the hottest team in the NHL, the St. Louis Blues, winners of ten straight. Interestingly, the Blues last lost a game to the Penguins on March 13. 

After the loss, St. Louis was 31-28-7 with 69 points, two out of the second wildcard spot, with two teams ahead of them. Meanwhile, they had a goal differential of minus-9.

Today, they have a seven-point lead in the wildcard race and are tied with the Minnesota Wild for the top wildcard spot. Moreover, with six games left, they are only seven points behind the Colorado Avalanche in third place in the Central Division. 

Since their last loss to Pittsburgh, St. Louis is 10-0-0, scoring 41 goals and surrendering only 14, for a goal differential of plus-27, bringing their season totals up to plus-18. During this stretch, their power play is 7-for-29 (24%), and their penalty kill is 90.9%. 

Considering how great the Blues are playing, the Penguins can halt St. Louis's march toward rewriting its franchise record book with another win on Thursday night. 

First, the Blues are one win away from tying their all-time win streak of 11 games during the 2018-19 season. Recently, when they collected their 10th win, they tied the 2001-02 team, which also won ten games and held the record for 16 years. 

Pittsburgh Penguins Schedule: Remaining Games & Statistical NotesThe Pittsburgh Penguins are winding down their 2024-25 season and on pace to miss the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third consecutive season, a first in Sidney Crosby's 20-year career. However, there is plenty to play for in the final weeks of the regular season. 

Second, St. Louis has won nine straight home games, which is tied for the longest win streak at home, set by the 1990-91 team and matched by the 2019-20 squad. A win on Thursday night would give the 2024-25 team the all-time mark. 

Last time we wrote about the Penguins being party crashers on their road trip in Florida, they mailed in one of the worst back-to-back performances of the season.

Considering they are not mathematically eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs, they still have something to play for besides pride: to play spoiler, like ending the Blues' historic win streak, which, if extended one more night, would be one of their greatest stretches of hockey all-time.

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck would tell you himself, a Hart Trophy is cool, but the Stanley Cup is his only aspiration.

As as been his mantra since earning his first Vezina Trophy following the 2019-20 NHL season, the now 31-year-old backstop is keen on being the last team standing.

So far this season, he has been the last man standing on the Jets' last line of defence, and has performed exceptionally.

Most have Hellebuyck slotted in for his third Vezina Trophy, and second in a row. 

Again, he wants to prove his doubters wrong with a strong postseason performance for the team that has essentially led the league in a wire-to-wire fashion this year. 

Winnipeg is 51-20-4 on the year, good for 106 points in 75 total games played. The Jets are the only team to have hit the 50-win mark, and sit No. 1 league-wide in terms of points, point percentage and regulation/overtime wins. 

But on flip side of things, Winnipeg started very hot, setting a league record for the best 15-game start to a season, before cooling off just a touch as the year has progressed. Injuries and personnel choices have caught up with the Jets, who sit just one point above Washington for first-place, and just four points over Dallas for first in the Central Division. 

With three of the league's top-five teams coming from the same division Winnipeg calls home, the Jets' final seven contests will carry significant weight.

Having begun their recent three-game west coast road trip with a difficult 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings - to which the Jets went 0-3 against on the season - a rebound vs. Vegas on Thursday night will be critical to the team's final standings placement. But the 45-21-8 Golden Knights are no pushover either. 

Through his 58 games this season, Hellebuyck sits atop the leaderboards in all four major goaltending statistic categories. His 43 wins are seven better than the second-place Andrei Vasilevskiy. While his 2.02 goals against average, .924 save percentage and seven shutouts narrowly top the charts in the other areas. 

Only two goaltenders have ever finished first in all four categories in NHL history, and they both went on to win the Stanley Cup in their respective record-setting years (Jacques Plante - 1958-59, Bernie Parent - 1973-74 Flyers). 

"We know what we have," said Jets coach Scott Arniel. "He's a special goalie, and he can win hockey games for you. He's such a prepared guy, just how he goes about his business, whether it's practices and games. He doesn't like to get scored on. And he really wants to be the best."

Hellebuyck has also become just the third goaltender since the 2000-01 season to put up multiple 43+ win seasons (Martin Brodeur, Evgeni Nabokov). 

Should he continue playing through the remainder of Winnipeg's seven games, Hellebuyck will have the opportunity to break his own personal wins record (44) and even challenge for a place among the all-time leaders (NHL-record 48 wins).

Sure, Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl is having himself a strong season (51 goals and 105 points, great goal scorers come along every year. A season like this one from a goaltender happens once in a blue moon.

The last time it occurred? Carey Price in 2014-15.

His stats?

44-16-6 with a 1.96 goals against average, a .933 save percentage and nine shutouts to his name.

No, Hellebuyck will not catch those numbers, but as is the case with inflation these days, goals are easier to come by in era-adjusted scoring. So Hellebuyck's numbers actually would reflect very similar to those of Price's. 

"We think he should be in the Hart Trophy conversation," said Jets captain Adam Lowry. "It's very rare you see a goalie there, not since Carey Price and I think he should be."

Again, his eyes are not on a Vezina Trophy, a Hart Trophy, a Jennings Trophy, or even a first-place finish. 

Connor Hellebuyck wants the Stanley Cup. And that fire will not be tamed.