Penguins send F Poulin back to AHL

The Penguins on Saturday sent forward Sam Poulin back to their American Hockey League club in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

They also reassigned goalie Filip Lindberg and waived defenseman Mark Friedman. At least one more move still must be made before the start of the season Thursday.

But while Poulin surely feels disappointment about heading back to the AHL, he should at least feel good about what he showed these past coupleof weeks.

“He’s light-years ahead of where he was a year ago,” coach Mike Sullivan said a few days ago. “We’re really excited about the progress that he’s made.”

Perhaps no prospect in training camp improved his standing more than Poulin, the Penguins’ 2019 firstround draft pick.

Even at 21, he already has NHL size with 208 muscular pounds packed onto his 6foot-1 frame.

His first step is quicker and his strides more efficient. And he looked more like a two-way player after a position switch.

In other news, there is a chance Radim Zohorna could return to the team soon. The Calgary Flames waived him Saturday, less than a week afterthe Penguins cut him.

If no other team claims him, the Penguins could reacquire his rights and stash him in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Saturday’s game

Nino Niederreiter scored two goals and the Nashville Predators rallied to beat the San Jose Sharks, 3-2, for a sweep of their two NHL regular-season opening games in Prague, the Czech capital.

Niederreiter completed a rally for the Predators just 12 seconds after he returned to the ice from the penalty box with 7:47 to go in the second period in front of a crowd of 17,023 at O2 Arena. He wristed a shot past Sharks goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen from the right circle.

Niederreiter scored his first on a rebound 4:35 in the second period to tie the game at 1.

Filip Forsberg also scored forthe Predators.

Luke Kunin and captain Logan Couture had a goal each and Mario Ferraro had two assists for the Sharks, who outshot the Predators 3318.

The games were part of the 2022 NHL Global Series. They marked the return of the NHL to Europe for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.

Flames

Calgary signed coach Darryl Sutter to a multiyear contract extension. The reigning Jack Adams Award winner led the team to a 50-21-11 season and a Pacific Division title last year. Sutter, 64, has a 65-36-11 overall record since being hired in March 2021.