Penguins goalie Louis Domingue likely to start Game 2 at Rangers

It was said earlier on Wednesday that Pittsburgh Penguins current starting goaltender Casey DeSmith and forward Rickard Rakell were both considered "day-to-day" due to the injury setbacks they suffered during Tuesday night's 4-3 triple-overtime win at the New York Rangers in the opening contest of the first-round playoff series. 

DeSmith's status for Thursday's Game 2 at Madison Square Garden became even less promising before the evening hours. 

Per Jon Lane of the NHL's website, backup Louis Domingue, Pittsburgh's Game 1 hero on Tuesday, will likely start in place of DeSmith for at least Thursday's encounter. Game 3 will take place in Pittsburgh on Saturday night. 

Domingue and emergency backup Reid Robertson practiced Wednesday, and the Pens have since recalled Alex D'Orio from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League. D'Orio will presumably serve as Domingue's backup on Thursday. 

DeSmith left Tuesday's matchup during the second overtime period with what's being called a lower-body injury and was replaced by Domingue, who previously notched just two NHL starts for Pittsburgh during the 2021-22 season. Domingue made 17 saves in sudden death and then watched as forward Evgeni Malkin scored a game-winner in the third extra frame. 

"He's a goalie that's shown an ability to have success at this level," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said of Domingue. "He's an NHL goalie. He's played a significant amount of games at this level and he's shown an ability to have success. I think that's what our management and hockey ops recognize."

Tristan Jarry, normally the Penguins starter, remains out with a reported right foot injury that's sidelined him since April 14 and is still rehabbing off the ice. There's no known timetable for his return to the lineup.