Dumoulin, Bennett set to rejoin Penguins tonight

Brian Dumoulin and Beau Bennett are ready, pending the formal green light, to rejoin the Penguins for their game Thursday night against the Devils.

Both participated in the team's optional morning skate at Consol Energy Center, and both were pronounced "game-time decisions" by Mike Sullivan without elaboration.

Dumoulin, checked hard and cleanly by the Capitals' Alexander Ovechkin on Sunday, initially was feared to have had a serious lower-body injury. But that abated early this week, and he was right back out for practice Wednesday. He has yet to miss any of the 72 games.



"I feel good," Dumoulin said after this skate. "It was good to be in a full practice yesterday, and it's always good this time of the season to have a few days off. I feel good. I feel ready. ... I just want to be out there and help the team any way I can. We'll see how it goes."

Of the Ovechkin hit, Dumoulin laughed and said, "“He’s a tank out there. He’s a big guy. And when he’s coming full speed, if he hits you anywhere, it’s going to hurt. So it’s good it was nothing serious.”

Bennett has appeared in only 25 games, thanks to his standard spate of injuries, and has been out this time since Jan. 23, when he aggravated the previous one that kept him out a month.

"I'll just come to the game prepared like I would for any game and, if I'm in, I'm in, great," Bennett said. "If not, I'll just support the guys, keep the streak going."

Bennett has been practicing since March 12. He called this recovery period "a cautious approach" on the Penguins' part, adding, "I've been ready for a week, maybe longer." He might be out even longer, depending on how Sullivan swings. One of Conor Sheary or Oskar Sundqvist would have to come out.

SECONDARY ASSISTS

• Marc-Andre Fleury was the first goaltender off the ice, a powerful indicator he'll start. The Devils announced that Scott Wedgewood, who allowed one goal to the Blue Jackets in winning his NHL debut Sunday, will be their starter.

• The Penguins who exercised their option to sit out the skate were Sidney Crosby, Patric Hornqvist and Phil Kessel. The Devils, too, went optional with their skate, only a dozen of them taking the ice.

• Carl Hagelin, on what the Penguins are doing better than anything during this six-game winning streak: "We're doing a really good job defensively, not giving up any easy scoring chances. You can see everyone is playing smart hockey, making the right decisions around the blue lines. That's going to be key going forward."