Dustin Tokarski To Make First Start With Penguins

PITTSBURGH - After stealing the show in a relief effort against the Vancouver Canucks, Dustin Tokarski is set to make his first start with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed following the Penguins morning skate, that Tokarski will be starting in net and Casey DeSmith will serve as backup against the Winnipeg Jets.

In his relief efforts, Tokarski made 18 saves on 19 shots and that lone goal would have been a save if his glove was just a few inches forward.

Tokarski made multiple huge saves in his debut, including a break from Elias Pettersson and another without his catching glove.

With the Penguins heading into games in back-to-back nights, it was likely they were going to have to utilize both Tokarski and DeSmith as starters.

They’ll need top tier efforts from both goalies, however, as the Jets and Carolina Hurricanes are no slouches.

The Jets are second in the Central Division with a 27-14-1 record while the Hurricanes continue to lead the Metropolitan with a 26-9-7 record.

The goalie depths of the Penguins is going to be tested over the next 48 hours while they continue waiting for a return from Tristan Jarry.