CRANBERRY — When Tristan Broz makes his NHL debut Wednesday as the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Buffalo Sabres, Broz will become the ninth rookie in a Penguins sweater this season.

Coach Dan Muse didn’t hedge when asked about the potential of Broz in the lineup. Whereas the coach has adopted the long Penguins tradition of withholding lineup information until close to game time, he finished his comments on Broz with a firm confirmation.

“And he’ll be in tomorrow night,” Muse said succinctly.

It would have seemed to be a given following his heartfelt thank-you list delivered on Monday. Broz will also quickly cure any potential Penguins’ attendance issues with quite a contingent coming from his native Minnesota and all parts.

“Bunch of family. My parents. My two sisters. All four of my grandparents. My mom’s sister and her family. And, I’ve got five buddies coming in, too,” Broz reported.

To the more pressing matters of actually playing the games, the Penguins are 2-4-3 in their last nine games, despite an overwhelming advantage in carrying the play. The Penguins have at times dominated their opponents only to lament the scoreboard.

As general manager, Kyle Dubas hired Muse last June, he wanted a teacher and a coach who could deal with a bevy of young players, though Dubas probably didn’t imagine getting close to double-digit rookies.

There will be two rookie forwards in the lineup on Wednesday, as it appeared Sam Poulin was the odd man out on Tuesday at practice. Ville Koivunen looks ready to return, and Muse stopped just short of confirming that, but if Koivunen feels well on Wednesday, he will be in.

For Muse and the rookies like Broz making his debut, is there a benefit to keeping it simple, or does Muse plan to toss Broz into the deep end?

“When you get an opportunity like this, it’s because we feel like you’re ready for it. So I don’t think it’s totally throwing him into the deep end. Again, it goes back to–I thought he had a good training camp. He did a lot of good things,” said Muse. “You know, he earned a really good impression.

“I remember, when he left here, thinking that if he goes to the Wilkes and builds on his game, he’s going to be a guy who we’re going to see here at some point, and I think when we do, I’m going to be really excited for him and to see him here.”

Broz didn’t disappoint with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. In 18 games, he posted 13 points, including eight goals.

The stocky but slick center with increasingly good speed also has soft hands. In shootout drills Tuesday at practice, he perfectly executed the “Forsberg” move in which he cut left but dragged the puck to the right.

And yes, he scored on goalie Tristan Jarry.

“Going into your first game, I think the biggest thing is you’ve got to just go play. You don’t need to overthink things. You can’t be fearful of anything, like making a mistake. Everybody on the ice is going to make a mistake–That’s just the reality of our game. And so you just have to focus on those things that have led to success at Wilkes and just go out there and apply those. And so I’m excited for him.”

Broz is excited. Muse is excited. And there will be a dozen or more people in the seats, excited, too.

Penguins Injury Updates

Decisions on the two Penguins who could be available on Wednesday will be made on Wednesday. Muse confirmed both Jarry and Koivunen are progressing. However, he indicated that Jarry is expected to be available and stopped just short of saying the same for Koivunen, who was a full participant in line rushes on the third line with Tristan Broz and Tommy Novak.

Activating Jarry from the IR would give the Penguins an interesting decision. Will they carry three goalies for a short time or immediately send rookie Sergei Murashov to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton?

Murashov spent an extended time on the ice Tuesday, which is usually a sign that a goalie is trying to find extra work, perhaps while he’s still here.

Justin Brazeau and Noel Acciari again worked on the ice prior to practice.

Bryan Rust was absent due to illness for the second consecutive day but is expected to play Wednesday.

Penguins Lines

Connor Dewar-Sidney Crosby-Ben Kindel

Kevin Hayes-Evgeni Malkin-Anthony Mantha

Tommy Novak-Tristan Broz-Ville Koivunen

Joona Koppanen-Blake Lizotte-Danton Heinen

Extra: Sam Poulin

Defense

Parker Wotherspoon-Erik Karlsson

Ryan Shea-Kris Letang

Ryan Graves-Connor Clifton

Extra: Matt Dumba

Tags: Pittsburgh Penguins Tristan broz Tristan Jarry

Categorized: Penguins Practice