Early on Thursday, the Penguins called up Filip Hallander on an emergency recall from the AHL, meaning they lacked 12 healthy forwards. With an a non-COVID illness sweeping through the locker-room, it was only a matter of seeing which two forwards couldn’t play. One ended up being Radim Zohorna, a recent healthy scratch anyways, but in a blow the other sick player up front was Sidney Crosby. Add in John Marino to miss his first game of the season due to the illness and the Pens were playing from behind before the game even started.
Through 20 minutes, however, Pittsburgh impressively hung in there with the New York Rangers.