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After yesterday’s 7-3 win (thoughts on that to be combined with today), the Pittsburgh Penguins take back to the ice again this afternoon as they host the Detroit Red Wings.
Here’s the roster, from the Pens.
Goalies
1 CASEY DESMITH
35 TRISTAN JARRY
Defensemen
2 CHAD RUHWEDEL
3 OLLI MAATTA
4 JUSTIN SCHULTZ
42 ETHAN PROW
50 JUUSO RIIKOLA
52 JEFF TAYLOR
73 JACK JOHNSON
Forwards
12 DOMINIK SIMON
17 BRYAN RUST
19 DERICK BRASSARD
36 LINUS OLUND
37 SAM LAFFERTY
53 TEDDY BLUEGER
54 THOMAS DIPAULI
56 RYAN HAGGERTY
57 ANTHONY ANGELLO
62 CARL HAGELIN
71 EVGENI MALKIN
80 SAM MILETIC
81 PHIL KESSEL
This is pretty much all of the players that didn’t get into the lineup for yesterday’s game with one very notable exception. Finnish import Juuso Riikola will play again today, and he has been in the lineup for all four games so far. This is no accident, the newcomer is turning heads and making a name for himself:
Sullivan said that Riikola has "raised eyebrows and making decisions for the coaching staff very difficult." -SK
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) September 22, 2018
Riikola’s skills were on full display yesterday. It’s only preseason but he looks like a young Scott Niedermayer here going coast-to-coast on the Blue Jackets
RIIIIIIKOLAAA!
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) September 22, 2018
Defenseman Juuso Riikola goes coast-to-coast and knocks it in on the backhand just 2:04 into the game.
The Penguins lead 1-0. pic.twitter.com/UdLOnefSKT
Yeah, that will lead for some difficult decisions in the future, not too many defensemen can do that even in preseason. He’s not Scott Nidermayer, of course, but Riikola has shown in camp that he totally belongs in an NHL lineup so far.
Today will also feature the preseason debuts of Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel and also Derick Brassard. Brassard’s inclusion is a welcome sight after the details of his nasty illnesss from earlier in the month kept him off ice for the start of camp.