The Pittsburgh Penguins split their final two games prior to the “Four-Nations” tournament NHL break. The Pens defeated the New York Rangers 3-2 Friday night, then fell 3-2 to Philadelphia Saturday. The Penguins played both games without captain Sidney Crosby. They also played without forward Bryan Rust Saturday.
Crosby has travelled to Canada and hopes to play for his native country in the tournament which begins Wednesday when Canada faces-off against Sweden. The United States will play Finland Thursday. It is a “round-robin” format, with the overall championship set for Thursday, February 20th.
The Penguins return to play with back-to-back afternoon games at PPG Paints Arena against Washington and the New York Rangers Saturday, February 22nd and 23rd.
On Sunday, the Penguins claimed left-handed defenseman Vladislav Kolychonok off waivers from Utah. The 23-year old from Belarus, was a second-round selection by the Florida Panthers in 2019. He had been traded to Arizona in 2021 prior to the team’s move to Utah after last season.