Penguins preparing for rough ice in Toronto bubble

The Penguins probably aren't going to be playing on the greatest ice when they move into the NHL's bubble in Toronto.

Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena could host up to three games per day during the qualifying round, with games scheduled for noon, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. The Penguins’ first three games of the qualifying round are scheduled for the 8 p.m. time slot. It remains to be seen how the ice will hold up for that third time slot.

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I asked Sullivan after Friday’s practice about the anticipated ice situation in Toronto, and it’s something the coaching staff is taking into consideration during training camp.

“I had this discussion with the players on the ice today,” Sullivan said. “We’re not sure what the quality of the ice is going to be like when we get there, depending on which game we get and how the ice holds up throughout the course of multiple games being played on it. And so we may have to simplify our game and we might have to get accustomed to playing in a situation where the ice breaks down.”

Is there anything that can be done to prepare for that, though?

There are a number of things that can be done, and the preparations started before the start of formal training camp. Skills coach Ty Hennes, who led the Penguins’ voluntary informal skates during Phase 2, told me that part of his focus was preparing for some rough hockey, whether it be from rust or bad ice.

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