The Pittsburgh Penguins had their final practice on Thursday before playing the Nashville Predators in the NHL’s Global Series in Sweden on Friday.
This will be the first of two meetings against the Predators in Sweden before the teams play again for the second and final time on Sunday.
Kindel-Crosby-Rust
Novak-Malkin-Mantha
Dewar-Lizotte-Koppanen
Koivunen-Hayes-Tomasino/Heinen
Wotherspoon-Karlsson
Shea-Letang
Clifton-Brunicke
Dumba-Graves
Heinen appears to be the odd-man out at forward, meaning that Philip Tomasino would get the spot on the fourth line. It’s put up or shut up time for him since he has really struggled to open the season.
Brunicke has been scratched for three games in a row, but if he returns on Friday, his entry-level contract would kick in since it would be his 10th NHL game.
All three goaltenders (Arturs Silovs, Sergei Murashov, and Filip Larsson) got work during practice, but if head coach Dan Muse keeps up the rotation, Silovs would start on Friday. Larsson is up as a third goaltender for this trip after Murashov made his NHL debut last Sunday.
A win would get the Penguins to 10-5-3 and snap a two-game losing streak.
The Denver Broncos received tough news Friday afternoon.
As NBC Sports noted, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that running back J.K. Dobbins will amiss Sunday’s matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs due to a significant foot injury.
Rapoport added that Dobbins is “believed to be out for the foreseeable future.”
His placement on injured reserve remains a real possibility as the team evaluates its options.
“Dobbins is still working through options, and while there is no final determination, IR remains a possibility,” Rapoport said.
The report came from himself and Tom Pelissero.
The development marks a quick escalation from earlier in the week, when Dobbins missed Wednesday and Thursday’s practices.
At that point, the team had not revealed the full severity of the injury.
Dobbins’ injury stems from a hip-drop tackle last Thursday against the Raiders, a play that left him frustrated enough to take to X and call for the move to be banned.
Dobbins ranks fifth in the NFL with 772 rushing yards and has been a huge part of Denver’s offense so far this season.
While Dobbins has officially been ruled out for Week 11, the next major decision comes quickly.
The Broncos must determine by Saturday afternoon whether to place him on injured reserve.
If he is moved to IR before Sunday, the Chiefs game will count toward a required four-game absence.
Placing Dobbins on IR would sideline him for matchups against the Chiefs, Commanders, Raiders, and Packers.
He would be eligible to return Week 16 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Head coach Sean Payton acknowledged that discussions are ongoing.
“Nothing has been decided yet, and at some point there will be more clarity with him and some of these other players,” Payton said earlier this week.
Denver’s Week 12 bye gives the team a small cushion, but if the injury is significant enough to keep him out multiple weeks, the IR designation becomes more likely.
“With JK Dobbins potentially headed to Injured Reserve, all eyes turn to RJ Harvey,” Rapoport said.
RJ Harvey has already flashed his dynamic potential in limited work.
Payton praised Harvey’s running style, durability, and readiness to step into a larger role:
“When we drafted him, it was his running skillset, and he had a lot of touches at Central Florida,” Payton said.
“You are starting to see him grow in front of our eyes, and he will have more opportunities in this game.”
Tyler Badie will likely mix in as a third down guy, while Jaleel McLaughlin could be active as well.
Sunday’s divisional matchup against the Chiefs carries major playoff implications for both teams and Harvey has a huge opportunity to step up and flourish in the RB1 role.