When Evgeni Malkin's suspension ends for the Penguins' game on Saturday in Detroit, it'll be interesting to see which forward comes out of the lineup as a result.
It's possible, though, that the answer was decided for the Penguins in Thursday's 4-0 shutout of the Bruins at PPG Paints Arena.
Jeff Carter left the Penguins' game late in the third period and didn't return. When I asked Mike Sullivan for an update on Carter after the game, Sullivan said, "I don't have one for you right now. He's being evaluated as we speak with a lower-body injury."
Carter spent several minutes in the Penguins' locker room earlier in the third period with athletic trainer Chris Stewart, but later returned to the game. When he and Stewart went down the tunnel for a second time with around six minutes left in the game, Carter appeared to be walking with a limp, and did not return to the game.
Watching Carter's last shift in the game, it's not clear what may have happened to him. He laid a hit on Marc McLaughlin in the corner about midway through his shift, the only sort of heavy collision with another player during the shift, but didn't appear to be laboring at all after. He went on to finish the shift -- which lasted 40 seconds in total, about average length for him in the game -- before skating to the bench.
Looking back at Carter's first shift in the third period -- after which he went to the locker room the first time -- there's again nothing obvious that may have led to an injury during the shift.
The Penguins are scheduled to practice in Cranberry at noon on Friday before departing for Detroit. There will presumably be some sort of update on Carter at that time.
