Letang exited Saturday's game against the New York Rangers after 15:29 time-on-ice but was back at practiced on Monday. The Penguins return to action on Tuesday evening in Anaheim against the Ducks.
Letang left early in the third period and did not return to Saturday's 6-1 loss to the Rangers. Head coach Dan Muse said that Letang is being evaluated and he should be considered questionable to play Tuesday in Anaheim.
Rust was back at practice on Thursday but will remain out of the lineup against the New York Islanders. The 33-year-old Rust scored a career-high 65 points (31G / 34A) in 71 games last season and will likely return to a role on the team's top powerplay unit when he returns.
Connor Dewar will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Hallander to make his season debut against the New York Islanders. The 25-year-old Hallander spent the previous two seasons playing hockey in Sweden, including an impressive 2024-25 season where he scored 53 points (26G / 27A) in 51 games with Timra IK (SweHL).
Coming off a forgetful 2024-25 season where he posted a 2.81 GAA and .896 SV% in 51 outings (26-18-4), Skinner will hope to return to the form that made him a top-15 netminder in his previous two seasons. The Oilers are expected to have one of the NHL's best offenses again in 2025-26, which should allow Skinner to accumulate plenty of victories. The 26-year-old netminder will be between the pipes in Edmonton's season opener on Wednesday, entering the contest as sizable -214 home favorites against the Calgary Flames.
Silovs was acquired in a trade from the Vancouver Canucks in the offseason to battle with Tristan Jarry for the Penguins' crease and appears to have a head start on opening night as he will tend the twine against the New York Rangers. The 24-year-old Silovs has limited NHL experience, having played a career-high 10 games with Vancouver last season (2-6-1), posting a 3.65 GAA and a .861 SV%. Expect the Penguins to alternate starts between their goaltenders unless one can establish themselves as the undisputed starter. The Penguins enter Tuesday's contest against the Rangers as +194 road underdogs.
Girard missed almost all of the preseason, but made his debut in Colorado's finale on Saturday. This is a good sign that Girard will be available for their season opener, but Colorado also waived two defensemen on Sunday, furthering the belief that Girard is good-to-go for Tuesday.
Colorado added some depth to their blueline on Friday, claiming Solovyov off of waivers from the Calgary Flames. The 25-year-old hard-hitting defenseman has four points (0G / 4A) and 26 hits in 15 career games over the past two seasons.
St. Ivany was likely a longshot to crack Pittsburgh's opening night roster but will now conclusively start the 2025-26 season on the sidelines, recovering from a lower-body injury for at least six weeks. The 26-year-old defenseman played a career-high 19 games last season, averaging 16:22 time-on-ice and scoring one assist.
The Penguins announced on Thursday that Rust will be out of the lineup for at least two weeks after suffering an undisclosed injury at practice on Wednesday. The 33-year-old Rust scored a career-high 65 points (31G / 34A) in 71 games last season.
