Puustinen Makes NHL Debut, Gets Rookie Lap; Kapanen, Simon, & Dumoulin Scratched

The Pittsburgh Penguins lines had a few unexpected faces when they faced the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night at PPG Paints Arena. Most notably, rookie Valtteri Puustinen made his NHL debut.

Puustinen, the Penguins 2019 seventh-round pick (204th overall), is the first player of the Penguins 2019 draft class, which included Sam Poulin and Nathan Legare, to make his NHL debut. The 5-foot-9 forward with shifty feet and soft hands led the WBS Penguins in goals (17) and points (34).

Puustinen, 22, skated beside Jeff Carter and Brock McGinn on the third line.

With the rookie in the lineup, Kasperi Kapanen was a healthy scratch, as was Dominik Simon. Brian Boyle was back in the lineup on the wing, beside Teddy Blueger and Zach Aston-Reese.

The Pittsburgh Penguins also activated Mike Matheson before the game but scratched Brian Dumoulin without explanation. However, Dumoulin is unlikely to be out for an extended period because the Penguins also made room on the roster by re-assigning defenseman P.O. Joseph.

PHN will update the story as needed throughout the night.