A concussion will change the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup against the Minnesota Wild.
PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Penguins are set to kick off a back-to-back road trip with a stop against the Minnesota Wild. Before the contest, there will be a ceremony for Marc-Andre Fleury as he celebrates multiple tremendous accomplishments in what could be the final year of his Hall of Fame career.
The Penguins diagnosed forward Noel Acciari with a concussion, opening a lane for changes to the lineup. Here is what the projected forward lines and defensive pairing will look like against the Wild.
Forward Lines
Jake Guentzel – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust
No changes are in the cards for the Penguins' first line and likely won’t be for quite some time. The Penguins don’t plan to trade Jake Guentzel, yet those rumors will continue to swirl until a complete decision is made.
Reilly Smith – Evgeni Malkin – Drew O’Connor
After missing the most recent practice for a maintenance day, Evgeni Malkin was present at the Penguin's morning skate in Minnesota. While taking a day off after a long break is something to keep an eye on, he won’t miss any time just yet.
Rickard Rakell – Lars Eller – Jesse Puljujarvi
Jesse Puljujarvi had a solid start to his Penguins tenure against the Winnipeg Jets. No points, but it was a piece of the game’s opening goal and seems to already be up to NHL speed despite missing over half of the season.
Jansen Harkins – Colin White – Jeff Carter
With Acciari out and no recent recalls from the Penguins, Colin White will step back into the lineup, but the exact position is foggy. While White will probably be listed as a center, head coach Mike Sullivan noted that White and Jeff Carter can take face-offs.
Defensive Pairings
Marcus Pettersson – Kris Letang
Ryan Graves – Erik Karlsson
P.O. Joseph – Chad Ruhwedel
Don’t expect any changes within the defensive pairings just yet. John Ludvig is healthy and ready to go, but he skated in Evgeni Malkin’s spot during the most recent team practice rather than with a defensive partner.
Starting Goalie
Alex Nedeljkovic
It’s the opening half of back-to-back games for the Penguins so both netminders are expected to see time this weekend. Alex Nedeljkovic will get the nod against the Wild, while Jarry will likely be the starter tomorrow against the Jets.
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