After suffering a lower-body injury and not returning to the game on Saturday in Seattle, as well as missing practice on Monday, Jeff Carter will not play Tuesday night when the Penguins host the Bruins here at PPG Paints Arena, Mike Sullivan confirmed after the Penguins' optional morning skate.
Carter's status is day-to-day.
With Carter out, Drew O'Connor will step into his spot as the Penguins' third-line center between Danton Heinen and Kasperi Kapanen. O'Connor, who was called up on Monday, will also get some work on the penalty kill.
"I think it makes you kind of value the opportunity a little bit more," O'Connor told me of being back in the NHL and whether or not there's a little extra pep in his step. "You realize that you're not always there, so you make the most of it when you get that opportunity. So I think, for sure, there's some motivation there."
O'Connor noted that he has received a lot of help from Kevin Porter regarding taking faceoffs since he was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, an area that holds some importance for the specific role he'll be filling.
Kris Letang was kept at home and missed practice on Monday due to an illness. Sullivan dubbed him as a game-time decision against the Bruins. In the event Letang doesn't play, it appears Jeff Petry will slide up to the right side of the first pairing alongside either of Brian Dumoulin or Jan Rutta based on the combinations utilized during Monday's practice.
MORE FROM THE SKATE
• Tristan Jarry will start in goal against the Bruins, Sullivan confirmed. He did not hit the ice for morning skate.
• Here are the skaters who took the option to participate in Tuesday's morning skate: Brock McGinn, O'Connor, Sam Poulin, Ryan Poehling, Teddy Blueger, Marcus Pettersson, Chad Ruhwedel, P.O Joseph, Casey DeSmith.
• The players and Sullivan alike talk a lot about putting together complete 60-minute efforts. It's something they've struggled to do this season, even when they were winning games early on. I asked Pettersson why he believes the Penguins haven't been able to do so on a consistent basis so far.
"Tough to say what's stopping us," he told me, sitting in his stall with half his gear still on following the skate. "I think it's tough to have a full game in this league. Every team is so good. You see what happens when you don't have it, you give up chances and a lot of teams are going to create and score goals. I think our starts have been maybe something that consistently hasn't been what we wanted them to be, so I think -- especially tonight -- a good start for us is gonna be huge and get off on the right foot and take it from there."
• Tonight will be Sullivan's 517th game as the Penguins' head coach. That will put him past Eddie Johnston for the most games coached in Penguins history.
• Linus Ullmark will start in goal for the Bruins. He's rocking a stellar 6-0-0 record on the season with a .945 save percentage and 1.70 goals against average.
• Here are the lines and D-pairings the Bruins utilized during their morning skate:
Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - Jake DeBrusk
Taylor Hall - Pavel Zacha - David Pastrnak
Trent Frederic - Charlie Coyle - A.J. Greer
Nick Foligno - Tomas Nosek - Jakub Lauko
Hampus Lindholm - Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort - Connor Clifton
Matt Grzelcyk - Anton Stralman
• We've got a late puck drop tonight because the game is being nationally televised on ESPN, 8:08 p.m. I'll have your coverage alongside Dejan Kovacevic.
