Penguins Notebook: Glass and Lizotte Practice, Lines And Pairings Shift Around

With the team riding a three-game losing streak, the Pittsburgh Penguins appear close to getting a few names back in their lineup.

And it looks like they’re making some changes.

Forwards Blake Lizotte and Cody Glass, both in concussion protocol, practiced with the team in a non-contact capacity. Head coach Mike Sullivan said that both players are progressing and that their status hasn’t changed otherwise.

In addition, the Penguins made some changes to their forward lines and defensive pairings:

It’s safe to say that the Penguins’ lineup is due for a bit of a shakeup. After three straight losses, that tends to happen. And, if things hold up, Valtteri Puustinen may be back in the lineup on Wednesday for the first time since Nov. 15 against the Columbus Blue Jackets instead of Sam Poulin.

Sullivan was asked during his press conference on Monday what Puustinen needs to show to keep his spot in the lineup, and he mentioned that the criteria players themselves and the coaching staff use to evaluate each player happens on an individual basis.

“We talk to all the players about how they can make an impact,” Sullivan said. “And what criteria, for example. I have this conversation with a lot of players. How do you assess your game when you’re done at the end of the night? Everybody’s a little bit different. So, the criteria that a player utilizes to assess his own game is different depending on what the role is of that player on that team. And we try to define that for players and what the criteria is. It’s how we assess our players and the role that they play.”

He continued: “In other words, we’re not going to use the same criteria with Ryan Graves that we do with Erik Karlsson or Kris Letang, for example. So, it’s the same thing with a guy like Puusty. He’s a guy that has the ability to make an impact.”

Sullivan also mentioned that Kevin Hayes started on the wing Saturday against Utah and progressed to the center position as the game went on. He said that Hayes looked fine during his Saturday minutes, and although he’s not the most “fleet-of-foot,” he uses his veteran experience to put himself in the right positions to create offense.

However, according to Sullivan, that’s not even the greatest impact he can have.

“I think the biggest thing he can bring to our team right now, quite honestly, is the personality and the swagger that he brings into the dressing room,” Sullivan said. “You guys interact with him, so you know what I’m talking about. I think that personality, right now, is an important element of trying to move this group in the right direction.”

Some other notes from Monday’s practice:

– It’s worth noting that Owen Pickering and Jack St. Ivany found themselves on the same defensive pairing, which was fourth in the rotation at practice today.

But don’t sound the alarm bells quite yet. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Ryan Graves and Ryan Shea will slot in ahead of them. Since the Penguins are carrying eight defensemen – for now – it’s probably best not to assume anything until Wednesday comes around.

– The Penguins and Sullivan are well aware of the urgency to win games as November comes to a close.

I asked Sullivan about the “Thanksgiving barometer” and how they can strike a delicate balance between taking things day-by-day and the forward-thinking urgency to get back in the win column:

– With Lizotte and Glass returning to practice, it’s only a matter of time before the Penguins will have to make some roster decisions.

It’s no secret that the Penguins have a lot of forwards, and if Sam Poulin exceeds the 10-game or 30-day mark for time spent in the NHL, he is no longer waiver-exempt. Otherwise, the only players on the roster who are waiver-exempt are Pickering and St. Ivany.

As it stands, Poulin has played six games since Nov. 13. The Penguins have eight more games in his 30-day window. Depending on how quickly Lizotte and Glass progress, this might be something to keep an eye on.

UPDATE: The Penguins reassigned Sam Poulin to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and they acquired forward Philip Tomasino from the Nashville Predators in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round draft pick.

More to come on this story soon.

– Speaking of Poulin, Evgeni Malkin crunched Poulin into the boards during a drill. It made the glass shake.

This was a long practice with a lot of intensity, but it did end with a shootout drill to lighten the mood a bit. Team Gold ended up taking home the win.

Honestly, a mix of intensity and fun may be what is best for this team right now.

“Pretty good vibes today,” goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic said. “It is what it is, we are where we are. It’s not where anybody wants to be, and I don’t know if there’s anybody right now that’s looking at the season as an individual and being happy with where (we) are. So, you just gotta move on. You gotta move on and worry about what you can control.”