An illness has forced the Pittsburgh Penguins to make a few necessary changes to their lineup.

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Penguins finally kicked their road losing streak against the New York Rangers, but a whole new problem might be hitting the locker room. Multiple players were scratched against the Rangers due to illness and the bug hasn’t left, just yet.

The Penguins will take on the New Jersey Devils with the same lineup they deployed against the Rangers. The Penguins also confirm that multiple players are still out with illness.

Forward Lines

Reilly Smith – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust

Sidney Crosby is doing everything he can to drag the Penguins into the postseason, and he's making progress in the history books along the way. After securing his 19th point-per-game season, the Penguins captain is eyeing down multiple other milestones before the season is out.

Michael Bunting – Evgeni Malkin – Rickard Rakell

Michael Bunting may very well be the patient zero of whatever is going around the Penguins' room. Bunting was an early exit against the Columbus Blue Jackets due to illness. He stayed behind in Columbus recovering while the rest of the team traveled to New York.

Bunting did return to the lineup against the Rangers without missing any significant time.

Drew O'Connor – Lars Eller – Valtteri Puutstinen

Reilly Smith and Drew O'Connor swapped spots in the lineup against the Rangers, and the Penguins will stick to that move. O'Connor has been red hot recently and is able to file in anywhere in the lineup. Maybe his scoring luck can reinvigorate the third line.

Jesse Puljujarvi – Jeff Carter – Emil Bemstrom

The Penguins re-assigned Sam Poulin to the AHL, securing this forward group as the Penguins' fourth line moving forward.

Defensive Pairs

P.O. Joseph – Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson – Erik Karlsson
Ryan Shea – Jack St. Ivany

The Penguins confirmed that John Ludvig will miss his second straight game due to illness. Ryan Graves also remains out due to a concussion.

Starting Goalie

Alex Nedeljkovic

Through necessity for the second straight night, Alex Nedeljkovic will start in goal for the Penguins. It is his sixth straight start dating back to the 5-4 overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

Like Ludvig, the Penguins confirmed that Tristan Jarry is still out due to illness and prospect Joel Blomqvist will serve as back up.

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

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