TORONTO — Mike Bales fooled everyone.
When the Penguins took the ice for their morning skate Saturday at Air Canada Centre, two goalies participated: Marc-Andre Fleury and another who looked like Tristan Jarry, recalled a couple hours earlier from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Nope.
Fleury skated. The other was actually Bales, the team’s goaltending coach, who went back to his playing roots for about 45 minutes or so, all in an effort to get Murray some additional rest.
“It was just a last-minute thing,” Bales said. “Obviously Tristan couldn’t get here. Figured I’d throw the gear on, go out and entertain the boys a little bit.”
Bales said he hadn’t worn equipment and taken shots with the Penguins — obviously he skates every day as a coach — since December 2014, when Thomas Greiss contracted the mumps in Florida.
“I don’t mind getting out there,” Bales said. “It’s a little bit like riding a bike, except I’m a lot heavier so the bike’s a little tippier.”
It's not as though playing goalie in the NHL is a foreign concept to Bales. He played 23 NHL games and spent about a decade in other North American pro leagues before finishing his career overseas.
Using a “mishmash” of his players’ equipment — Fleury’s old leg pads, Murray’s old helmet, gloves and chest protector, a pair of old pants equipment manager Dana Heinze keeps around — Bales didn’t get too fancy.
Just the basics of stopping skaters’ extra shots and serving as a target during tempo and pace drills.
The important part, Bales will not be a game-time decision for tonight or be considered “longer term” because of an upper- or lower-body injury.
“I didn’t push myself too hard,” Bales said. “Nothing where I’m going to hurt myself too much.”
The new pads forced reporters covering the skate to convey incorrect information; everybody thought Bales was actually Jarry.
Told of the confusion, Bales started laughing.
“I don’t know if that’s good for me or bad for Tristan,” Bales said.
Crosby chasing Rocket Richard Trophy
Sidney Crosby has never been the type to fixate on individual awards, but here we are, in the final weekend of the regular season, and he entered Saturday’s games with a three-goal lead for the Rocket Richard Trophy.
Crosby began Saturday’s game against Toronto with 43 goals. Nikita Kucherov, whose Lightning were idle, was second with 40, followed by Toronto’s Auston Matthews and Boston’s Brad Marchand at 39.
Winning in the playoffs, of course, is infinitely more important to Crosby. But scoring goals generally means your team is playing well and you’re getting chances. That much is important to Crosby.
“It would be unfamiliar territory,” Crosby said of winning the Rocket Richard. “It's worked out that way. The pucks have gone in. I don't have a great explanation for you, but, yeah, it'd be nice. I mean, that's not what you play for but if it ended up that way, it'd be great.”
It’s likely to be the second Rocket Richard Trophy for Crosby, who won the award in 2009-10 with 51.
If Crosby does win it, he’ll join Alex Ovechkin (four times), Steven Stamkos, Jerome Iginla and Pavel Bure (all twice) as repeat winners of the award, which was first presented in 1998-99.
It would also mark the fifth time a Penguins player has led the NHL in goal scoring. Mario Lemieux did it in 1987-88, 1988-89 and 1995-95. Crosby’s 51 in 2009-10 tied Stamkos.
Remember him?
There’s a fourth-liner on Toronto, well-spoken Fin by the name of Kasperi Kapanen.
Yes, him, the former Penguins prospect, that one forward they could finally develop.
Plenty, of course, has changed.
Kapanen, the Penguins’ first-round pick in 2014, is grown up now, his facial features more defined, his frame filling out. He's 20.
After nine games last season, Kapanen has seen six this season and could find himself in the playoff lineup should the Maple Leafs finally clinch a spot.
“I think I’ve played well,” Kapanen said. “Me, [Brian Boyle] and [Matt Martin] have been doing our job: being physical and keeping the puck in their end as much as possible.”
Kapanen’s time in Pittsburgh was brief — he played in Finland, saw four games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, then was traded in the Phil Kessel deal — but he said he enjoyed the experience.
“I was really young,” Kapanen, then 18, said. “I had one training camp there. They treated me really well, with respect. I enjoyed my time. Had a stint with Wilkes-Barre, then got traded that summer. Not too many memories. Some small ones. They were pretty good.”
More Hockeyville fun
The Rostraver Ice Gardens in Belle Vernon is among 10 finalists for Kraft’s Hockeyville USA promotion. Public voting begins April 11. All 10 finalists will receive funds for upgrades from Kraft Heinz. The grand prize winner will get $150,000 and the opportunity to host an NHL preseason game on NBCSN. Voting is done online and via text and Twitter. Details are available at www.krafthockeyville.com.
Line it up
Nick Bonino, Patric Hornqvist, Brian Dumoulin, Chad Ruhwedel and Bryan Rust got the night off against the Maple Leafs. Evgeni Malkin (shoulder) and Olli Maatta (hand) sat out as well. Tristan Jarry handled backup goaltender duties in place of Matt Murray. Carl Hagelin (foot/ankle) skated briefly Saturday morning, the second consecutive day he's been on the ice.
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG
First Published: April 8, 2017, 5:56 p.m.