COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Penguins will be without Jake Guentzel for their Saturday night matchup here in Columbus against the Blue Jackets.
Guentzel missed practice on Friday after taking a hit up high and a puck to the ear during the third period Thursday night against the Kings. There was at least some optimism Guentzel might be able to go against the Blue Jackets since Mike Sullivan said on Friday that he would make the road trip, but Guentzel did not participate in the Penguins' optional morning skate Saturday morning.
Sullivan confirmed afterward that Guentzel will not play, and that he is continuing to be evaluated. There's no timetable for his return. For what it's worth, all of Guentzel's gear was hanging at his stall in the locker room when the media went in following the skate.
Danton Heinen will move up to Guentzel's spot on the left side of the first line with Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell.
Sullivan also confirmed that Teddy Blueger, out with an upper-body injury for the past three weeks, will not play. Blueger has yet to have a full-participation practice with the entirety of the team, which is the next step he'll need to take before making it back to game action.
Because the Penguins don't have enough cap space to call up any forwards from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the AHL without putting someone on long-term injured reserve, they will dress seven defensemen tonight, meaning Chad Ruhwedel will draw in for his season debut.
If you were expecting Sullivan to tip his cap as to whether or not one of those seven defensemen might move up to forward, he didn't.
"We would consider all the options on the table," Sullivan said, leaving it at that.
MORE FROM THE SKATE
• Tristan Jarry will start in goal for the Penguins Saturday night, Sullivan confirmed after the skate. Jarry was the one who got all the action in goal while Casey DeSmith mostly worked with goalie coach Andy Chiodo at the other end of the rink.
Jarry is 3-0-0 on the season with a .952 save percentage, 1.67 goals against average, and 3.61 goals saved above expected based on the quality of chances he has faced, per Evolving-Hockey.
• Here are the players who took the option to participate in the skate: Jeff Carter, Rickard Rakell, Brock McGinn, Ryan Poehling, Blueger, Marcus Pettersson, Jeff Petry, P.O Joseph, Chad Ruhwedel, Jarry, DeSmith.
• Based on the lines utilized during practice Friday, McGinn will slide up from the fourth line to the third line in place of Heinen.
• Elvis Merzlikins will start in goal for the Blue Jackets.
• Blue Jackets head coach Brad Larsen said they will rock the same lineup they utilized in their 5-3 victory over the Predators on Thursday:
Johnny Gaudreau - Boone Jenner - Gustav Nyquist
Kent Johnson - Jack Roslovic - Jakub Voracek
Yegor Chinakhov - Cole Sillinger - Justin Danforth
Eric Robinson - Sean Kuraly - Mathieu Olivier
Zach Werenski - Nick Blankenburg
Vladislav Gavrikov - Andrew Peeke
Jake Bean - Erik Gudbranson
• Puck drops at 7:08 p.m. here at Nationwide Arena. I'll have your coverage.
