Penguins Newsbreak: McGroarty Update; Murashov Gets Big Game

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Pittsburgh Penguins rookie Rutger McGroarty stuck out his foot to block a slapshot by Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard late in the NHL regular season. As a result, McGroarty missed the final three games of the season before joining his fellow prospects with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins playoff run.

Friday, WBS coach Kirk MacDonald updated McGroarty’s status, and it’s good news … if the WBS Penguins can survive their best-of-three first-round series against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

The Penguins lost Game 1, but if they advance, MacDonald said McGroarty was expected to be ready next week.

However, the WBS Penguins will face Lehigh Valley Friday in Game 2 without their starting goalie, Joel Blomqvist, who tweaked something in Game 1. MacDonald didn’t specify the nature of the injury, but Blomqvist won’t be available this weekend for Games 2 or 3 on Sunday, if necessary.

“We’ll leave it at that,” MacDonald said.

In Blomqvist’s place, increasingly heralded first-year pro Sergei Murashov will start. Murashov set the WBS Penguins franchise rookie record with 11 wins in a row. The wins also tied John Curry’s franchise-long winning streak.

Read More: Murashov Ready for Penguins Closeup; Gushes Over Malkin (+)

Murashov’s streak extended through three AHL stints from October through April. He also won 13 games in a row for the Wheeling Nailers.

Overall, the Russian goalie, who surprisingly left Russia last July for the beginning of his North American career, posted a 12-3-0 record with a .913 save percentage and a 2.64 goals against average in 16 AHL appearances.

Murashov was the Penguins’ fourth-round selection in 2022 (118th overall) but is widely seen as having the potential to be a starting NHL goalie.