Tally up another one in the injury department, although it would appear Goligoski is more a victim of the flu or exhaustion rather than any injury. Or at the least, we can hope it's only the flu and not labeled such so as to cover up some sort of other, more detrimental problem. After yesterday's morning skate, Dan Bylsma alluded to the fact that GoGo is "worn down" and "a little bit tired." More on that in the Post-Gazette.
With that in mind, the Penguins have recalled defenseman Deryk Engelland in what I can only imagine is an option available for Dan Bylsma come gametime. From what I'm reading and seeing around the interwebs, GoGo will try and make the effort to play tonight but is still listed as a game-time decision.
Tyler Kennedy is listed as doubtful for tonight's game against the Sharks, but Bylsma hasn't officially ruled him out just yet. Guess that would make him a game-time decision as well. This issue tends to be a lingering one for TK. Ankle? Groin? Hard to say. The guy apparantly played injured against the Ducks, not that you could tell with the speed in which he was skating with and the two assists he picked up before all was said and done.
If all goes sour for the Pens by the time the puck drops, we could be watching a Pittsburgh team skating without the likes of Evgeni Malkin, Sergei Gonchar, Tyler Kennedy and Alex Goligoski. Also, purely speculative of course, they could be skating with a banged-up Sidney Crosby.
This one's gonna be tough.
After the jump, a little background info on Deryk Engelland, in the event we see him on the ice onight.
From the official team release:
The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled defenseman Deryk Engelland from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, it was announced by Executive Vice President and General Manager Ray Shero.
The 6-foot-2, 202-pound defenseman has two assists in 11 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this year and has been a steady presence on the blue line for WBS, appearing in all of the club’s 160 regular-season and 35 post-season contests the last two seasons after signing with the team in July, 2007.
Engelland, 25, has posted 33 points (5G-28A), 302 penalty minutes and a plus-7 rating in 171 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He has added six points (1G-5A) and 20 penalty minutes in 35 playoff games and helped Wilkes-Barre/Scranton earn a berth in the Calder Cup Final in 2008.
Engelland is looking to make his National Hockey League debut. The six-year pro has worked his way up the ranks to the NHL following stints in Las Vegas, South Carolina and Reading of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), and Lowell, Hershey and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL.
The Chetwynd, Alberta native played five seasons of junior hockey with Moose Jaw of the Western Hockey League.