With the Pittsburgh Penguins barely holding onto a playoff position, the last thing fans want to see are emergency recalls. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what they received today, as the Penguins announced the call-up of Dustin Tokarski and Filip Hallander from the AHL on an emergency basis.
Shelly Anderson of Pittsburgh Hockey Now reports that head coach Mike Sullivan will speak with the media two hours before tonight’s game against the Dallas Stars.
Pittsburgh is coming off a massive win against the Colorado Avalanche last night, stopping a four-game losing streak that threatened the team’s playoff hopes. With a one-point lead on the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference wild card race, every game seems like a must-win for the Penguins these days.
Casey DeSmith, who is dealing with an illness, was healthy enough to serve as the backup last night, but Tokarski’s recall suggests that Tristan Jarry may have to play back-to-back games, unless there is another injury that has popped up in the hours since leaving Denver.
The minor league veteran does have a .917 save percentage in 29 appearances with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins this year but posted an .897 in four games with Pittsburgh earlier. With so much importance attached to every game at this point, it would be a disappointing outcome to see Tokarski have to carry the load tonight in Dallas.