Jeff Carter has appeared in 120 Stanley Cup playoff games, so there likely won't be much about Game 1 of the first-round series between the Penguins and New York Islanders Sunday at PPG Paints Arena that he hasn't experienced.
Well, except for one thing: When it will be played.
The NHL lists it as a noon start, and even though Carter reached the NHL during the 2005-06 season, he hasn't been in many games that begin so early.
"I can't remember the last time I played a noon game," he said after the Penguins' practice Saturday. "It was probably when I was in Philly."
That means it would have been no later than 2011, since Philadelphia traded him to Columbus that year.
Despite -- or, perhaps, because of -- his lack of experience with noon starts, Carter professes to like them.
"I've always enjoyed them," he said. "You get up, you eat and you go play. There's no messing around. No waiting all day to get it going."
Not all players are so enamored of afternoon games, but whether or not they appreciate playing during the daylight hours, they have to adapt to the schedule the league gives them.
"A 12 o'clock game is a little bit different, especially in the playoffs," Jared McCann said. "There's going to be a lot of nerves, especially for the younger guys, but we have to be ready."
Mike Sullivan was noncommittal about whatever feelings he might have about mid-day games, perhaps because that's a variable over which he has no control.
"They are what they are," he said. "Both teams have to play at the same time."
Precisely what the Penguins' lines will look like for the opener likely hinges on whether Evgeni Malkin, who did not take part in line rushes or power-play work during practice, is in the lineup.
If Malkin dresses -- Sullivan characterized him as a "game-time decision" -- he presumably will be between Jason Zucker and Kasperi Kapanen, his usual linemates.
Should Malkin be scratched, however, Carter likely would move up to the second line, with Frederick Gaudreau shifting from right wing to center on the No. 3 unit and Evan Rodrigues being plugged in on the right side.
The latter scenario would break up the Carter-McCann partnership that has been so effective during its short time together.
"Jeff's an easy guy to play with," McCann said. "Obviously, he brings a lot of experience. Winning two Stanley Cups, he's kind of a legend. ... It's been really easy (to play alongside him). That's the only way to put it. He's just a guy you can rely on, especially in the (defensive) zone. He plays the right way, so that makes my job a lot easier."
Game 1 will be the Penguins' first live action since the regular-season finale against Buffalo May 8, which means they will have had a break about twice as long as usual between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs.
"We're looking forward to getting it going," Carter said. "It's been a long week."
Sullivan said, "I think it's going to help us moving forward," noting that the Penguins have had a chance to get in some practices, which were rare during the stretch drive, in addition to letting players replenish their energy supplies and heal some of their bumps and bruises.
"I think we've handled it as best we can," he said. "We've tried to use it as an opportunity to get some rest and recovery. We've tried to utilize it as an opportunity to prepare for what's in front of us."
Whether those preparations have paid off should be evident long before sundown.
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