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After the game day skate this morning, here’s how the Penguins looked as the prepare to take on the Carolina Hurricanes in a crucial matchup tonight:
Corrected #Pens lines (though wouldn't it be great if we had two Hornqvists?):
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) January 4, 2018
Simon-Crosby-Sheary
Hornqvist-Malkin-Kessel
Hagelin-Guentzel-Sprong
Kuhnhackl-Sheahan-Reaves
Hunwick-Letang
Cole-Schultz
Maatta-Oleksiak
-MC
``Interesting to see Matt Hunwick go from healthy scratch one day to Kris Letang top-pair partner the next.
``Same type of story for Dominik Simon, healthy scratch to the Sidney Crosby line.
``I believe this marks the 2nd game of the season for Jake Guentzel working as a center. In the first, if memory serves, he only took about 8 faceoffs and the other normal centers had 14+. Bet on Riley Sheahan and Sidney Crosby to start some shifts with the “3rd line” (Especially in the defensive zone) and then try to get to the bench quickly for Guentzel.
``Another rarity is Patric Hornqvist on the left wing. That’s traditionally something that doesn’t usually end up going well but at this point, but there isn’t too much of an extra option.
And after practice coach Mike Sullivan offered the following updates:
First the good:
- Tristan Jarry acted as the backup goalie this morning. Expect Matt Murray to start tonight but Jarry is healthy enough to at least serve as backup.
Wow, good news was fleeting. Now the not so good:
- Brian Dumoulin has been diagnosed with a concussion after last game where an errant shot hit him in the side of the head/helmet. Sullivan seemed to hint that Dumoulin is not suffering too much at this point, officially calling him day-to-day and adding “he is doing well. We are hopeful we will get him back in a timely fashion”
- Carter Rowney also left last game early and will be out at least a month with an upper body injury.
- Bryan Rust and Chad Ruhwedel were on the ice before practice, but don’t get too excited because Sullivan said, “no update on Rust and Ruhwedel. They are longer-term, so there’s no real update as far as a timetable is concerned.”
Due to the Rowney injury, the Pens are down to 12 healthy forwards left, so it would make sense a reinforcement from Wilkes-Barre might be called up soon. Even with Dumoulin out, there are still 7 healthy defensemen with Frank Corrado as the only healthy scratch tonight.