Penguins Emergency Recall Riikola, Domingue; Pettersson, Ruhwedel Out

The Canadian government’s 14-day quarantine protocol will keep Marcus Pettersson and Chad Ruhwedel out of the lineup on Saturday in Ottawa. Based on the travel schedule, the Pittsburgh Penguins also sent starting goalie Tristan Jarry ahead to Washington for Sunday’s game.

To complete the roster, the Penguins recalled both defenseman Juuso Riikola and goalie Louis Domingue on an emergency basis.

Jarry will not be with the Penguins on Saturday but will join the team in Washington D.C. for their 7 p.m. game against the Washington Capitals.

Pettersson and Ruhwedel were re-added to the COVID protocol.

Riikola, 28, played in four games for the Pittsburgh Penguins this season. He tallied one assist on Oct. 30 vs. New Jersey. In addition, the defenseman played three games with the WBS Penguins, tallying two assists.

The absences won’t help the Penguins already beleaguered blue line which played only five-deep on Thursday night after Pettersson was injured in the first period. Top defenseman Kris Letang has played at least 28 minutes in each of the last four games.

Domingue, 29, has played in five games for the WBS Penguins, going 1-2-1 with a .921 save percentage and 2.43 goals-against average. The 6-foot-3, 208-pound Domingue spent the 2020-21 season in the Flames organization, splitting time between Calgary and the Stockton Heat of the American Hockey League. The goaltender spent most of last season on the Flames’ taxi squad, plus suited up for one game with Calgary and three games in Stockton.

During training camp, Domingue opened up that his recent transient career had taken a toll on him. He lost confidence and motivation until new Pittsburgh Penguins goalie coach Andy Chiodo spoke with him over the summer,

Domingue responded to a PHN question, and his answer became one of the feel-good stories of training camp. You can read about Domingue’s journey here. 

The goalie will presumably back up Casey DeSmith on Saturday. Domingue has played 140 games in the NHL over the past seven seasons with Arizona, Tampa Bay, New Jersey, Vancouver, and Calgary. His record is 58-59-10 at the NHL level with a 3.05 goals-against average, a .904 save percentage, and two shutouts.