Add Fehr's status to list of Penguins' worries

The Penguins had 99 problems, and they might now have another.

Eric Fehr, Evgeni Malkin's right winger, was missing from the team's morning skate Wednesday at Consol Energy Center and Mike Sullivan called him "a game-time decision" for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup playoff series with the Capitals. Sullivan did not elaborate in any way, simply including Fehr in a category that includes two players, Bryan Rust and Olli Maatta, who also didn't skate -- everyone else participated -- and are almost certainly out.

The roster is certain to be without Kris Letang, due to his one-game suspension.

That left the following for lines and pairings at the skate:

Conor Sheary-Sidney Crosby-Patric Hornqvist
Chris Kunitz-Evgeni Malkin-Oskar Sundqvist
Carl Hagelin-Nick Bonino-Phil Kessel
Tom Sestito-Matt Cullen-Tom Kuhnhackl

Brian Dumoulin-Ben Lovejoy
Derrick Pouliot-Trevor Daley
Ian Cole-Justin Schultz



For what it's worth, I spoke with Sundqvist, Sestito and Schultz, the potential newcomers to the lineup, and all three sounded very sure they'll be playing.

"You never know when your chance is going to come, so you've always got to stay ready," Sundqvist said. "I feel like I'll be ready."

"I'm just going to play my game, not do anything differently," Sestito said.

"Honestly, I try to prepare myself every day as if I'm playing," Schultz said. "So hopefully, this won't really be any different."

In Letang's absence, the top power-play unit at the skate was comprised of Crosby, Kessel and Hornqvist up front, Malkin and Daley at the points. Daley represents the only change there.

ENFORCER AT HAND?

Sestito's presence might be most striking in that Washington has thoroughly dominated physical play and delivered most -- though not all -- of the series' cheap shots:



THE STARTER? SERIOUSLY?

Matt Murray was first off the ice after the skate and will start. Do try to look surprised.

Even Sullivan, who's held every card against the vest in these playoffs, conceded that "common sense would suggest" Murray would be the choice after his 47-save Game 3. His reasoning: "Matt is playing really well, and Marc is working toward getting his game back in shape."

WHAT CHANGES?

I asked Hagelin, easily the Penguins' best player not named Murray in Game 3, how his team can bounce back from a performance that was rancid in every aspect except for the goaltending and the outcome.

"We've just got to play better," he replied. "That's every guy in here. Me, too. There's really nothing else to it. We've got to win battles. We've got to go harder. We've just got to play hockey."

That's it?

"That's it."

Different variations of the same theme would echo around the room.

THE OTHER SIDE

The Capitals will have Marcus Johansson for Game 4, coach Barry Trotz confirmed after his team's optional skate.

Johansson is the player Letang hit to get suspended, and he was held out of practice Tuesday in a transparent attempt to influence the league's decision, but he had not only finished Game 3, but also did so with a game-high nine hits.

It does appear that Trotz will make one change: Mike Weber, the Seneca Valley High School graduate, will take the place of robustly ineffective Nate Schmidt on the blue line. Weber is 6-2, 211, and plays a physical game but doesn't have much mobility.