The Pittsburgh Penguins have just one game remaining before the Olympics rest day, but the road to the finish line won’t be easy. It has been announced that Blake Lizotte will miss tonight’s game against Buffalo due to the birth of his child, while Noel Acciari will make a game-time decision because he is dealing with an illness and will not be able to participate in the morning skate.
To make matters worse, Rickard Rakell can’t skate and won’t play tonight.
Therefore, the team recalled Avery Hayes from the AHL.
If Acciari is unable to play due to Rucker being unavailable, Hayes will definitely be in the lineup tonight. If Asciari can leave, the team will have one more striker.
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The bigger question for Rucker as a member of the Swedish team is the extent of his injury and what it means for his participation in the upcoming Olympics. The competition starts on February 11th.
For the Pens, Rucker’s injury means a new forward will play tonight alongside Sidney Crosby and Brian Rust, and another player, Avery Hayes, could make his NHL debut, depending on Acciari’s health during game time.