UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- The Penguins might have a decidedly different look when they face the New York Islanders tonight at 7:08 at Nassau Coliseum
Not so much because there will be a lot of new bodies -- although there likely will be at least one of those -- but because of the personnel combinations Mike Sullivan opts to deploy.
At the Penguins' game-day skate, Jared McCann, who has missed the past six games because of an unspecified injury, was at left wing on the No. 2 line with Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust.
Zach Aston-Reese, who filled that spot during the Penguins' 5-2 loss in Washington Thursday, returned to his usual spot with Teddy Blueger and Brandon Tanev.
On defense, Sullivan flipped P.O Joseph and Marcus Pettersson at the skate, pairing Pettersson with Kris Letang and Joseph with Cody Ceci.
Sullivan, as usual, declined to confirm whether he will use those combinations against the Islanders and said McCann will be a "game-time decision."
He described McCann as "a guy who skates really well, who brings some speed to our lineup." Sullivan added that McCann "has good offensive instincts. He can really shoot the puck."
McCann said that "I feel like I can add" to the speed Malkin and Rust bring to the line.
Because he was the only guy who skated with Malkin and Rust, McCann seems like a pretty good good to be in the lineup this evening.
It also seems as if the Penguins likely will at least start the game with the defense pairings they used this morning, although Sullivan cautioned against assuming that will be the case.
"We're just exploring defense pairs," he said. "We've done it during the course of games. Just because a defense pair warms up a certain way doesn't necessarily mean we need to play them that way during the course of the game."
ALSO AT THE SKATE:
• Sullivan confirmed that goalie Tristan Jarry will make his seventh consecutive start.
• Sidney Crosby said the frequent inability of the power play to generate shots on goal does not happen by design. "I don't think that we're looking not to shoot," he said.
• McCann, who had two goals and three assists in 11 games before being injured, said he was pleased with his defensive work during the early weeks of the season. "I thought I was really good defensively," he said. "Very responsible."