CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Louis Domingue broke into pro hockey in 2012.
Since then, he's played in 141 NHL games, and another 158 in the American Hockey League.
He's been around long enough to appreciate the differences between those leagues -- like how, in the NHL, lineups are deeper, players are more skilled and the game is more structured -- and to understand that goalies promoted from the minors rarely have the luxury of time to get acclimated to being in a less-forgiving environment.
"You're supposed to be ready as soon as you get called up," Domingue said after practice Tuesday. "Nobody cares if you need time or not. You're supposed to be ready as soon as you get up here. If you look at the workload of games I've had (in Wilkes-Barre), this is what I've been working toward, (to) be ready for my chance."
That opportunity came when Tristan Jarry broke a bone in his foot last Thursday, prompting the Penguins to recall Domingue from their farm team in Wilkes-Barre to partner -- and, perhaps, compete -- with Casey DeSmith while Jarry is out.
Domingue has been the organization's No. 3 goalie since he was signed as a free agent before this season and has spent most of 2021-22 in Wilkes-Barre, but made it clear he didn't regret coming here.
"Since I signed with the team, I felt like it was a great opportunity for me," Domingue said. "It didn't matter where I fell in the depth chart."
Mike Sullivan said the coaching staff has "penciled in" a plan for how to use DeSmith and Domingue during the Penguins' final five regular-season games, but did not divulge it.
He did, however, praise Domingue's work in the AHL, where he was 10-9-2, with a 2.41 goals-against average and .924 save percentage.
"He's put a strong body of work together in Wilkes-Barre," Sullivan said.
Domingue has appeared in just one game with the Penguins this season, stopping 40 of 41 shots in a 2-1 victory at San Jose Jan. 15.
"My goal was to show my teammates that I was for real," he said. "And I think I accomplished that."
However, he injured his right foot during a game-day skate five days later and, after a lengthy rehab, returned to Wilkes-Barre.
"That was definitely bad timing," Domingue said. "I was feeling comfortable, feeling especially comfortable with my teammates, which is something that's always hard to accomplish when you just come in in the middle of the season."
True enough, but Domingue seems to have earned the confidence of those teammates that he's capable of handling whatever role he is assigned.
"He's played a lot of games in the NHL," Bryan Rust said. "He's a guy who can play very well for us if he's given the opportunity."
Regardless of whether the Penguins ultimately turn to DeSmith or Domingue while Jarry is out, they know their goaltender won't move the puck as quickly and effectively as Jarry.
Sullivan, though, said that won't cause them to make anything other than minor tweaks to the way they play.
"I don't think we have to change our game plan, depending on who's in the net," he said. "There are strengths of all of our goaltenders; Tristan, one of his strengths is playing the puck. I think our defensemen are well aware of that.
"There might be subtle differences in when we go back to pucks, for example, and what the game plan is and our exit strategies, but the foundation of how we're trying to get out of our end zone doesn't change."
MORE FROM THE PRACTICE
• Sullivan acknowledged that there have been some uncharacteristic "inconsistencies" in Brian Dumoulin's game this season, but said he expects those issues to be exorcised in the playoffs. "I'm not concerned about him, because I know (Dumoulin) will be at his very best when the stakes are high," he said. "He always has. That's one of the things we admire about him."
• Although Evgeni Malkin must sit out one more game to finish his four-game suspension, he practiced in his usual spot on the No. 2 line between Jason Zucker and Rust.
• Rust, on the Penguins' power play, which is 1-for-20 in the past eight games: "We just have to get a few more pucks to the net, Maybe we haven't shot the puck as often as we should. The more we do that, the more other things are going to open up for us."
• Defenseman Nathan Beaulieu, who was acquired from Winnipeg at the trade deadline and has not played since March 4 because of an unspecified lower-body injury, participated in a team practice for the first time, wearing a white, no-contact jersey. "It was a great day for me, just to get out and be with my teammates," Beaulieu said. He is on the Long-Term Injured list and there is no target date for him move to the active roster, which is not expected to happen during the regular season.
• Sullivan, on what the Penguins hope to do during their rematch with Boston Thursday, after a 2-1 loss to the Bruins last Saturday: "We've got to put a little more heat on Boston, with respect to our execution and our overall team game."
• The Penguins announced that their home sweaters next season will carry a Highmark patch on the chest, as part of a three-year sponsorship agreement. A similar advertising deal for their away sweaters will be announced later.
• Personnel combinations:
Guentzel-Crosby-Rakell
Zucker-Malkin-Rust
Heinen-Carter-Kapanen
Rodrigues-Blueger-McGinn/Boyle
Dumoulin-Letang
Matheson-Ruhwedel
Pettersson-Marino
Beaulieu-Friedman
No. 1 power play: Crosby, Letang, Malkin, Guentzel, Rust.
No. 2 power play: Matheson, Carter, Rodrigues, Zucker, Rakell.
