LOS ANGELES -- Brock McGinn has tested out of the NHL's COVID-19 protocol and participated in the Penguins' optional game-day skate at Crypto.com Arena Thursday, but won't be in uniform when they face the Kings tonight at 10:38.
McGinn tested positive for Covid last Friday and was in quarantine for games in Dallas Saturday and Anaheim Tuesday.
"He's available tonight," Mike Sullivan said. "He's out of the COVID protocol, but he will not play. The reason is because he's been in his hotel room in Dallas for five or six days."
McGinn has established himself as a valuable member of the Penguins' third line, and has put up nine goals and four assists in 33 games.
Forwards Bryan Rust, Zach Aston-Reese and Danton Heinen and goalie Casey DeSmith remain in the protocol.
They, of course, did not take part in the game-day skate, but nearly all of their teammates did.
In fact, forwards Sidney Crosby and Kasperi Kapanen and defensemen Brian Dumoulin and John Marino were the only non-COVID players who skipped it.
There were 20 players on the ice, which is about five more than generally participate in an optional. Veterans Kris Letang and Jeff Carter, who had a maintenance day when the Penguins practiced Wednesday, were among those who skated.
Sullivan suggested that the higher-than-usual total was due, in part, to the Penguins having more players than usual on hand, but said that not playing until 7:38 local time might have convinced a few others to get involved.
"The fact that it's a 7:30 game sometimes influences players, on whether they want to exercise their option," he said.
MORE FROM THE SKATE
• Tristan Jarry will make his fifth consecutive start for the Penguins. He will again be backed up by Louis Domingue.
• Although Jason Zucker, who is recovering from an unspecified lower-body injury, took part in the skate while wearing a regular jersey, Sullivan said his status has not changed. "I wouldn't read into the jersey colors too much at this point, during a morning skate," Sullivan said.
• Sullivan did not rule out Carter playing on Evgeni Malkin's left side for an extended period, although Zucker is a candidate to return there when he is healthy. "I think the potential to keep them together is always on the table," he said. "We'll make those decisions as we go, depending on what our lineup looks like, which players are available to us. ... We also like (Carter) in the middle. He's been a real good center iceman for us."
• Sullivan praised Radim Zohorna's performance during the Penguins' 4-1 victory in Anaheim Tuesday -- "I thought (he) had a real strong game" -- and pointed out that "he's had a real tough start to the season, with respect to injuries and COVID and illness and things of that nature, he hasn't had an opportunity to play a lot of hockey." Zohorna has one assist in two games with the Penguins after recording five goals and five assists in 23 games with their farm team in Wilkes-Barre.
• Because the skate was optional, albeit well-attended, there was no particular significance to the personnel combinations used.