CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Just when you thought the Penguins were healthy and starting to get on a roll, adversity struck them yet again.
This time it's Conor Sheary, who sustained a lower-body injury midway through the third period of Tuesday night's win over the Sharks. Mike Sullivan announced after Thursday's practice that Sheary will be out "week-to-week," beginning with Friday night's home game against the Capitals.
Sheary has been somewhat disappointing this season with 19 points (12 goals, seven assists) while averaging 14:41 in 52 games this season. Still, he was skating on the top line with Sidney Crosby and rookie Dominik Simon.
"Conor's a really good player, he's not an easy guy to replace," Sullivan said. "He brings a certain dimension to our team that helps us win games. But certainly we have capable people."
At least for now, here's what Sheary's injury means for the Penguins:
1. Bryan Rust moves up.
Rust is the Swiss Army knife of the lineup. The speedy winger can play either left wing or right, but he does everything fast, using his exceptional speed to get around defensemen and draw penalties.
Most recently, Rust was "toiling" on the fourth line but that is likely to change. He won't be lacking in confidence after scoring a pair of goals in his last game:
If Thursday's practice lines are any indication, he'll be replacing Sheary on the top line. That, Rust said, changes nothing for him.
"Try to keep my overall game the same," Rust was telling me. "Just being aware more of those little passing plays and being ready all over the ice because playing with Sid and Dom -- or if I do -- those guys make plays pretty much everywhere on the ice."
2. Ryan Reaves returns to the lineup.
There was already a fairly good chance that Reaves was going to play Friday night against the Capitals due to the nature of the Metro Division rivalry and, well, Tom Wilson.
This will be Reaves' first game action since Jan. 20. He'd been a healthy scratch the past three games after playing each of the first 49 games this season.
Reaves has two goals and three assists to go along with a minus-7 rating and a 48.17 Corsi For percentage, the second-lowest rating on the team. Of course, those aren't the numbers that define the NHL's reigning heavyweight champ. Reaves has 80 PIM and six fighting majors, sixth-most in both categories.
Obviously, Reaves has limited ability but he's not a liability, either. He's not Tom Sestito. He's also drawn 12 penalties. Only Evgeni Malkin (17) and Rust (16) have drawn more on the Penguins.
"Ryan's a good player for us and another guy that, based on the type of game that's going to be played out there, can help us win," Sullivan said.
Most likely, Reaves will resume his spot as the fourth line right wing with Tom Kunhackl on the left and Jean-Sebastien Dea at center. Reaves and Dea played just one game together (Jan. 20 at San Jose) and only for eight shifts. But that could change soon ...
3. Carter Rowney is close to returning.
That means that the fourth line that played most of the first 49 games this season -- Rowney, Kuhnhackl and Reaves -- could soon be reunited.
Rowney, out since Jan. 2 with an upper-body injury, practiced with his teammates in a white limited-contact jersey and his return should be imminent. Rowney has been skating the whole time, but will need to get his timing and feel with the puck back.
"It felt good," Rowney told me. "It feels like it's been six months, not just one. Just good to get back with the guys and test it out, get back to the pace."
If Rowney returns, that could mean that Dea's stint in Pittsburgh could be coming to a close. Dea has been averaging a Reaves-esque 5:29, which has extended the ice times of the centers ahead of him, Crosby in particular, who has been double-shifting more than he should.
Prior to his injury, Rowney had two goals and two assists in 27 games and the Penguins had been 20-18-3. They went 8-3 without him while using either Riley Sheahan or Dea as the fourth-line center.
"They have been playing well," Rowney said of his mates. "It's a whole team game right now, and they're all contributing and it's been fun to watch. They're rolling right now and you can see it in the locker room and on the ice, the confidence they have."
NEWS AND NOTES
• For scoring his league-best 12 goals, Evgeni Malkin was named the NHL's First Star of the Month for January. Malkin had also 19 points; only Crosby (21) had more.
• Sullivan confirmed that Matt Hunwick and Chad Ruhwedel are both healthy. Hunwick has been a scratch the last two games, with Ian Cole taking his spot in the lineup.
• Add the name of Carolina's Derek Ryan as one player being targeted by the Penguins as a potential third-line center, according to TSN. You may have heard that Jim Rutherford has a little history with the Hurricanes. Ryan joins Ottawa's J-G Pageau and Edmonton's Mark Letestu as rumored targets.
• Matt Murray is the Penguins ambassador for "Hockey is for Everyone," a league initiative that promotes diversity.