The Pittsburgh Penguins have been on a roll as of late, as they have won five straight games in their quest to reemerge as a playoff team in the Eastern Conference. They will take on a struggling New Jersey Devils team on Thursday night, and ahead of the game, the team announced a roster move involving forward Ville Koivunen.
After making his NHL debut last season, Koivunen established himself as a bottom-six forward for the Penguins this season, scoring two goals and dishing out three assists in 27 games. Ahead of this game, though, Koivunen was sent down to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL.
“The Penguins have re-assigned forward Ville Koivunen to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL),” the team announced in a post on X.
A second-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, Koivunen has struggled to consistently find his way onto the scoresheet for Pittsburgh. While he can hold his own as a depth option in the pros, the Pens are hoping that giving him more ice time in the minors will help him continue to develop his game.
In the meantime, the team will square off against a Devils squad that is fresh off an embarrassing 9-0 loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday night. Puck drop for this game is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, with the Penguins looking to continue moving up the standings by earning their sixth-straight win.
Story continues below advertisement
More NHL: Sidney Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin: The key stats that defined hockey’s greatest modern rivalry
Featured image via Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images