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Carter, Jarry in COVID Protocol; Crosby OUT Saturday

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Pittsburgh Penguins, Jeff Carter, Tristan Jarry

There isn’t a correct answer. COVD-19 continues to swirl worldwide, much more heavily in unvaccinated areas, but no vaccine is 100% guaranteed. Going out in public can be a sketchy proposition for professional athletes who must enter protocol and be absent until testing negative twice should they be one of the unlucky breakthrough cases. Pittsburgh Penguins Tristan Jarry and Jeff Carter are learning the hard way.

Both were at the Pittsburgh Steelers game on Sunday night. Both are in the NHL COVID protocol as of Thursday morning. Head coach Mike Sullivan specifically said Carter tested positive, but both are in protocol.

Both players are asymptomatic, so there is not a mandatory 10-day period. As soon as the players twice test negative, they will pass protocol and are clear to play.

Sullivan genuinely reflected on the line he and his team must walk between caution and living their lives. It’s a line most vaccinated individuals struggle to find.

“…You know, it’s certainly something that we’re throwing around internally. And, you know, we’re talking to our players about doing our very best to try to limit our exposure as best we can and just shoot and just use common sense. So, you know, this is just the reality of what we’re all living with right now and we’re all trying to manage our way through it. And you know, we’re I don’t think we’re any different than the rest of the world for that matter. The only thing that might be different is we test every day, so these guys that are asymptomatic, maybe in the general population they won’t even know what they’re just living their lives.”

These are the third and fourth Pittsburgh Penguins to enter the COVID protocol. The team instituted daily testing, which exceeds NHL requirements after Zach Aston-Reese, then Jake Guentzel tested positive in training camp.

In an amazing sign of the times, Evan Rodrigues will take the top center spot. Evan Rodrigues, the top Pittsburgh Penguins center. I bet you didn’t see that coming at the end of last season.

We’ll have more about Rodrigues and Boyle separately.

Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries

Sidney Crosby did not skate on Thursday. It was a scheduled off day. However, the news around Crosby is no longer as optimistic and sunny as it was last week. It was the second consecutive day Crosby did not skate.

Sullivan said Crosby is OUT for Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, in the third game of their season-long eight-game homestand. Crosby continues to rehab off the ice.

In a sign that Evgeni Malkin is a long way from returning, Sullivan had not yet checked with this training staff if Malkin skated early Thursday morning. Malkin is currently on a twice-weekly skating regimen as he rehabs from offseason knee surgery.