Marcus Pettersson will be out of the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup due to an illness.
PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Penguins will have to continue to grind along with a blue line that is growing thinner every day.
As the Penguins took to the ice for warmups ahead of their battle with the Winnipeg Jets, Marcus Pettersson was the only absence.
According to the Penguins, Pettersson is out with an illness.
Recent AHL recalls Mark Friedman and Taylor Fedun were present for warmups and Friedman will be in the lineup serving as linemates with Brian Dumoulin.
Pettersson had been filling in on the top line for a good amount of the season and with him out much of the defensive lineup has been shuffled.
Dumoulin and Friedman have been paired together and are listed as the top pairing; Ty Smith will play on his proper left side for the first time in a Penguins uniform with Chad Ruhwedel and P.O. Joseph and Jan Rutta will anchor the third line.
Rutta had been stepping up as a top line guy for a few games now and was becoming comfortable in that position.
It’s going to be a defense by committee for the Penguins and they’ll have their hands full against a high flying Jets offense.
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