First Call: Kenny Pickett won't attend NFL Draft bash in Vegas; ex-Pirates pitching battle; Penguins get help in standings

In Friday’s “First Call,” we reveal the players who will be at the NFL Draft in Las Vegas at the end of the month.

The Pittsburgh Penguins got some favorable results on Thursday, beyond their own victory. We also celebrate an anniversary for the team that history occasionally overlooks.

And we recap a pitching showdown between ex-Pirates in San Diego.

Who will be on hand?

The NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero tweeted a list of prospects who will be in attendance for the NFL Draft on April 28 in Las Vegas.

21 prospects will attend the 2022 NFL Draft in Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/mKuesyBCDJ

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 14, 2022

There are 21 names on that list. Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett isn’t among them. He’ll be watching the draft on television in New Jersey with his family and fiancée, according to Pittsburgh Sports Now.

The Steelers draft in the 20th slot of the first round.

Players who will be in attendance include those that could be on the Steelers’ wish list, such as Liberty quarterback Malik Willis, Georgia defensive linemen Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt, and linebackers Nakobe Dean (Georgia) and Devin Lloyd (Utah).

A good night

Not only did the Penguins beat the Islanders 6-3 at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday night securing their 16th straight playoff berth, but they got some help in the Metropolitan Division standings.

The division-leading Carolina Hurricanes suffered a surprising 3-0 loss to the Detroit Red Wings, and the Toronto Maple Leafs throttled the Washington Capitals 7-3.

So that means the Penguins now have 97 points, seven points behind first-place Carolina (104) and five behind the second-place New York Rangers (102). The Capitals are still in a playoff position with 92 in fourth place behind the Pens.

The Boston Bruins are next on the schedule for the Penguins. The Pens head to Massachusetts for a road game Saturday. Then they welcome the Bruins to Pittsburgh for a home game April 21.

The Bruins lost 3-2 against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. Anton Forsberg stopped 40 of 42 shots for the Sens. Tim Stutzle got the eventual game-winner for Ottawa in the second period.

Timmy gives us the 3-2 lead! #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/Ri9v0joWYU

— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) April 15, 2022

The Bruins have 95 points and are in fourth place in the Atlantic. That’s good for one of the Eastern Conference wild card spots with the Caps.

Forgotten anniversary

Every Pittsburgh hockey fan remembers “The Save” by Penguins goalie Frank Pietrangelo. It happened 31 years ago in Game 6 of the first round of the 1991 playoffs against the New Jersey Devils.

Down 3-2 in the best-of-7 series, the Pens were leading the game 2-1 late in the first period.

Pietrangelo was playing the first Stanley Cup playoff game of his career, filling in for the injured Tom Barrasso. The Penguins were shorthanded because Pietrangelo took a delay of game penalty. New Jersey’s Peter Stastny fired a rebound at a wide-open Penguins net, only to see it snatched out of the air by Pietrangelo’s glove. The Penguins went on to win 4-3.

The anniversary of “The Save” was Wednesday. But that game-saving/series-saving moment is so often discussed, it often overshadows what Pietrangelo did in Game 7 on April 15, 1991. He made 27 saves en route to a 4-0 series-clinching shutout 31 years ago Friday.

Not only did the Penguins win that game and that series but also the Stanley Cup, as Barrasso got back in the net in Game 3 of the next round against the Washington Capitals.

Ex-Buccos battle

Former Pirate Joe Musgrove is off to a fine start with the San Diego Padres in 2022.

In a 12-1 win over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday, the 29-year-old pitcher spun 6⅔ shutout innings. Musgrove recorded six strikeouts, didn’t walk anybody, and yielded just four hits en route to the win. His ERA stands at 1.42 after two starts, and his strikeout to walk ratio is 14:0.

The other starting pitcher was also a former Pirate. He didn’t fare as well. Charlie Morton yielded nine hits and five earned runs in five innings to absorb the loss.