The Pittsburgh Penguins will see a few small moves to their forward lineup against the Philadelphia Flyers.

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Penguins can do themselves a huge favor by putting up a good game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Before heading out West, the Penguins have an afternoon contest that could ultimately make or break the entire season.

While there is a significant likelihood that the Penguins start selling pieces before the trade deadline, they still believe they have some playoff fight in them. They’ll need all the help they can get, but a big win over the Flyers will give them a boost.

The Penguins lineup does not expect much change, but a new face will force a few edits.

Projected Forward Lines

Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust

Rickard Rakell has five goals in the season, all of which came in an eight-game span. He couldn’t find the back of the net in his first 19 games of the year and is currently riding a 15-game goalless streak.

The Penguins are giving him a chance to find some life on the first line with Sidney Crosby, but he desperately needs to find any kind of offense.

Drew O’Connor – Evgeni Malkin – Valtteri Puustinen

Valtteri Puustinen is earning his way back to the NHL on a full-time basis. Mike Sullivan says he’s got an extra step of foot speed, and he’s getting better with each passing game. Puustinen’s role on the second line is well-deserved and could wake up something in a struggling Evgeni Malkin.

Reilly Smith – Lars Eller – Emil Bemstrom

The Penguins acquired new face Emil Bemstrom during their win over the Montreal Canadiens. The team likes what he can bring and likely pushes Matthew Phillips out of the lineup. Bemstrom and Phillips rotated at the most recent practice, but the upper hand is likely going to the newest name.

Jansen Harkins – Noel Acciari – Jeff Carter

No changes are expected from the Penguins' fourth line. The three combined for nine total goals in the season, with Carter accounting for six of them.

Projected Defensive Pairs

P.O. Joseph – Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson – Erik Karlsson
Ryan Graves – Chad Ruhwedel

There were some rotations amongst the third-pairing defenders, but the outcome will likely remain the same for the third straight game. Ryan Graves and Chad Ruhwedel were rotating with John Ludvig and Jesse Puljujarvi who are expected to be the healthy scratches with Phillips.

Projected Starting Goalie

Alex Nedeljkovic

It’s truly a toss-up over who Sullivan decides he starts in goal against the Flyers, but Nedeljkovic has some redemption to take hold of. Nedeljkovic was honest about how he let the team down in his last start and is looking to bounce back in a big way at a crucial time.

These moves leave Phillips, Ludvig, and Puljujarvi as healthy scratches, and each name is decent enough to fit right in the lineup if called upon.

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