Louis Domingue won't get the opportunity to play in his second NHL game of the season just yet.
It'll again be Casey DeSmith getting the start Thursday night at PPG Paints Arena when the Penguins host the Bruins. This will be DeSmith's second consecutive start, having stopped 27 of 29 saves in the loss Saturday in Boston.
With Tristan Jarry still classified as "week-to-week" with a broken bone in his foot and still using a scooter to get around, it seems unlikely that Jarry will be ready to return by the May 2 start of the Stanley Cup playoffs, leaving DeSmith and Domingue as the tandem in net heading into the postseason.
Domingue, recalled on an emergency basis following Jarry's injury, has appeared in just one game this season, a 40-save performance on 41 shots in the Penguins' overtime win in San Jose on Jan. 15.
Though he won't get the start tonight, it seems likely that Domingue will be in net for at least one -- maybe more -- regular-season game before the playoffs start.
After tonight, the Penguins have just four games remaining in the regular season. They have a back-to-back trip on the road this weekend, with a game in Detroit on Saturday and one in Philadelphia on Sunday. They close out the season with a two-game homestand next week, hosting the Oilers on Tuesday and the Blue Jackets on Friday. It would seem logical that DeSmith and Domingue would split the road trip, and it seems like there's a possibility that they could split the homestand, as well.
"I do think that given the fact that we're going to play four games in six nights here coming up, there's opportunity to utilize both goaltenders," Mike Sullivan said. "I just think out of necessity and putting players in positions where they can be successful. We have to manage workloads, as well. We have that in mind in the big picture."
The Penguins aren't locked into a particular seed in the playoffs yet, however, and they still see these last four games as being important. They have to balance that workload management with also still starting the goaltender who they think gives them the best chance to win.
For now, they see DeSmith as that goaltender.
"We're going to try to win every game in front of us, and that's the way we look at it," Sullivan said. "We're going to put our best lineup on the ice tonight that we think is going to give us the best chance to win, and then we'll make decisions accordingly. We're trying to win that that game right in front of us in hopes that we put our team in the best position to have success moving forward. We want to continue to grow as a hockey team."
MORE FROM THE SKATE
• It was an optional skate. Participants were Rickard Rakell, Kasperi Kapanen, Teddy Blueger, Chad Ruhwedel, Mark Friedman, Marcus Pettersson and Nathan Beaulieu.
• The Penguins will wear their white road jerseys today, with the Bruins wearing their dark home jerseys. The reason is that the Bruins are coming straight from St. Louis, where the Blues wore their white alternate jerseys on Tuesday. In order for the Bruins to not have to pack two full sets of uniforms, the Penguins will wear their road jerseys to accommodate them.
• With the Penguins having a rare four days off since their last game, Sullivan is hoping for an energetic start from his team tonight.
"Energy and simplifying the game," Sullivan said when asked what he'd like to see. "I think it's important that we try to get momentum from the drop of the puck, I think we've got to bring a lot of energy. And I think we've got to keep the game simple and play a straight-ahead game."
• Entering tonight's game, Mike Matheson is just one point away from becoming just the fourth Penguins defenseman in the last 10 years to record 30 points with the team in one season. The others are Kris Letang (nine times), Matt Niskanen and Justin Schultz (one time).
• Amanda Kessel, who was announced on Wednesday as the inaugural participant in the Penguins' executive management program, was around for Sullivan's morning availability, standing with the PR staff.
• Jeremy Swayman will start in goal for the Bruins.
