Goalie Tokarski, Forward Hallander Emergency Recalls

Hours before the Pittsburgh Penguins’ game Thursday against the Stars in Dallas, the team recalled goaltender Dustin Tokarski and forward Filip Hallander from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on an emergency basis.

That calls into question what players might not be available for the Stars game. The Penguins will be playing the second of back-to-back games after a 4-2 win Wednesday at Colorado.

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan is scheduled to meet with reporters two hours before the game, a change from previously when the team was scheduled to offer reporters a pregame update by email. PHN will provide updates.

Here is the team’s news release:

The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled goaltender Dustin Tokarski and forward Filip Hallander from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on an emergency basis, it was announced today by general manager Ron Hextall.

Tokarski, 33, has appeared in four games with Pittsburgh earlier this year, going 1-2-0. At the AHL level, he has suited up for 29 games with WBS this season, going 12-11-5 with a 2.47 goals-against average, .917 save percentage and one shutout. His save percentage is sixth and goals-against average is tied for ninth in the AHL. Tokarski won his 200th career AHL game on Nov. 25 against Lehigh Valley, becoming just the 16^th netminder in league history to accomplish this feat.

Last season, Tokarski had a career year with the Buffalo Sabres, appearing in 29 games, going 10-12-5 with a 3.27 goals-against average and one shutout. His 10 wins and one shutout (tied) were both career bests.

The 6-foot, 198-pound netminder has 80 games of NHL experience over parts of eight seasons split between Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Montreal, Anaheim and Buffalo where he’s gone 23-34-12 with a 3.15 goals-against average, a .902 save percentage and two shutouts. He also has five games of Stanley Cup Playoff experience with the Canadiens in 2014.

Hallander, 22, is up for his second stint with Pittsburgh this season after appearing in two games from Nov. 9-11. With WBS this year, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound forward has recorded 11 goals, 22 assists, 33 points and is plus-6 through 40 games. His plus-6 is third on WBS, and his 33 points are fourth most.

In 2021-22, Hallander tallied 14 goals, 14 assists and 28 points in 61 regular-season games with WBS, and then picked up four points (1G-3A) in six Calder Cup playoff games. He made his NHL debut on April 7, 2022 against the New York Rangers. In 101 career AHL contests, he’s picked up 61 points (25G-36A).

The Penguins take on the Dallas Stars tonight at American Airlines Center in the second half of a back-to-back. Puck drop is set for 9:00 PM ET.