Penguins Call Up Two Forwards From AHL, Send Down Goaltender

On Thursday, the Pittsburgh Penguins made a number of roster moves to bolster their offense and make a decision between the pipes.

Pittsburgh was bound to make some roster moves this week following the return of goaltender Tristan Jarry from the AHL after his conditional loan, but a number of other factors forced them to make the move. The trade of Lars Eller to the Washington Capitals meant that help would be needed up the middle. Unfortunately for the Pens, Blake Lizotte also suffered an injury Wednesday against the Detroit Red Wings when he took a misdirected shot to the face, which will force him to miss time.

As a result of the two moves and the injury, the Penguins called up forwards Matt Nieto and Vasily Ponomarev. Ponomarev was acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes in the Jake Guentzel deal last season while Nieto will look to play his first NHL game since being injured on Nov. 30 in the 2023-24 season.

Pittsburgh also sent down netminder Joel Blomqvist, meaning they will roll with Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic between the pipes. Blomqvist played in eight games for the Penguins this season, going 3-5-0 with a 3.60 goals against average and .904 save percentage.

The Penguins will look to get back in the win column with a fresh new lineup on Friday night when they take on the Columbus Blue Jackets.

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