Together Again: Penguins Release Video Footage of Phase 2

Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust raced around the rink. Jake Guentzel hit the ice. The Pittsburgh Penguins released video footage on Wednesday afternoon of their Phase 2 of the NHL return workouts at the UPMC Lemieux complex.

Workouts began on Tuesday, and PHN confirmed Guentzel was among the participants. Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan reportedly said more than half of the team showed up for the first day.

Per NHL rules, the voluntary workouts as part of Phase 2 may include no more than six players at a time, and those six players must remain together for the entirety of Phase 2.

Malkin and Rust are doing laps in the video released by the Penguins. Guentzel took shots off the rush on Penguins goalie Matt Murray, while Jack Johnson and Rust laughed firing shots wide of a shooter-tutor.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was also in the ice. He could be seen breathing heavily after exerting himself, too.

The Penguins will face the Montreal Canadiens in the Qualifying Round of the NHL Return to Play Plan. Games will be Phase 4. Training camp, which will begin no earlier than July 10, is Phase 3.

The Penguins reportedly had more than half of their team show up to the voluntary workouts, and the teamwork was visible in the video. Montreal has taken a different approach. Canadiens players have remained home and are working out individually. The Montreal practice facility, the Bell Complex, was reportedly not opened this week because of a lack of demand.

The Penguins will be the five seed in the Eastern Conference. Montreal is the 12th and final seed. As part of the Phase 4 plan, the NHL will re-seed each round of the playoffs, so the highest seeded team will always play the lowest remaining seeded team. The top four teams in each conference will also play a round-robin tournament during the Qualifying Round to determine how the order of the top-four seeds.

Have a look at the video, from new WPXI Sports Anchor Jenna Harner:

Here’s our first look at the @penguins back on the ice for Phase 2 of the #NHL’s return to play plan pic.twitter.com/kTIut7bQ2U

— Jenna Harner (@JennaHarner11) June 10, 2020