Chirps from Center Ice

Yeah, I have no idea how that headline correlates with this post.

Anyway, gobs of moves in Penguins land. You all by now know about some guy by the name of Iginla. So I am not going to bore you with the details on that acquisition. To start…

— Jeff Zatkoff was recalled to Pittsburgh. A well deserved call up to a player who had never dressed for an NHL game. It’s expected that he backs up Tomas Vokoun tonight.

— Marc Andre-Fleury took morning skate today and was still “questionable” to back up tonight. I feel much better seeing him take the skate this morning than say, 36 hours ago after the initial injury happened. That would lead me to believe that Zatkoff’s stay will be a brief one. He could be back as soon as this weekend, if not Friday.

— In the wake of the Zatkoff recall, Wilkes-Barre recalled Scott Darling to a PTO. Darling was on an ECHL contract with the Wheeling Nailers. He’s 13-12-1-2 with a 2.80 GAA and a 0.906 SV% in 31 appearances this season in the ECHL.

— Evgeni Malkin is off of injured reserve and will presumably play tonight, therefore Beau Bennett was returned to Wilkes-Barre. Now it is perceived that Bennett could hypothetically return to Pittsburgh after the trade deadline when there is no roster limits. But with the new arrivals of Brenden Morrow and Jarome Iginla, I don’t see it. Bennett on a fourth line would be a waste of his talents. Pittsburgh has made it clear that they are “all in” for a Stanley Cup. While Bennett is in the long term plans, the short term chance of winning a Stanley Cup is too much to pass up for the Penguins who are serious contenders.

Time, as it has in the past, always tells.

Gameday for tomorrow’s giant test vs. the Providence Bruins will be up at 3 p.m. Friday.

Let’s Go Pens!