Preview: Penguins at Panthers

PENGUINS (16-7-3) at PANTHERS (12-11-4)
7:30 p.m. ET; FS-F, ROOT, NHL.TV

Penguins team scope

Goalie Matt Murray will start after backing up Marc-Andre Fleury the past three games. Murray made 17 saves on 18 shots after replacing Fleury in the second period of the Pittsburgh Penguins' 8-5 win against the Ottawa Senators on Monday. The only other lineup change could come on the fourth line, where forward Tom Kuhnhackl could replace Eric Fehr on right wing. "We're making difficult decisions," coach Mike Sullivan said. "We've got a competitive roster and we're making difficult decisions day-to-day with these guys." Forward Bryan Rust scored three of the Penguins' eight goals Monday for his first NHL hat trick. The Penguins have won three in a row; all have come at home where they are 11-2-1 as opposed to 5-5-2 on the road. Pittsburgh has lost its past two road games while surrendering a total of 11 goals to the Minnesota Wild on Nov. 25 and New York Islanders on Nov. 30. Center Sidney Crosby is tied for the NHL lead with 17 goals after scoring 8:45 into the first period against Ottawa. He has at least one point in 16 of 20 games since returning from a concussion Oct. 25.

Panthers team scope

Defenseman Keith Yandle (lower body) will be a game-time decision. After Florida Panthers coach Tom Rowe said Yandle would be out for "a while" before the game at the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday, Yandle played 23:57 to extend his ironman streak to 578 games. "I wasn't surprised at all," Rowe said after the morning skate Thursday, according to the Miami Herald. "He's a tough guy and he's got that streak intact for a reason. He may not be the most physical guy when it comes to his play, but he's a mentally real tough kid. He did what he did in Philadelphia. … That just speaks to the toughness that he has mentally." Yandle played 4:51 on six shifts against the Boston Bruins on Monday before leaving after taking a shot from defense partner Aaron Ekblad in the foot during the first period. Forward Seth Griffith will replace Shawn Thornton, who played fourth-line left wing on Tuesday. Goalie Roberto Luongo is likely to start after James Reimer allowed three goals on 25 shots in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Flyers. Luongo backed up Reimer in Florida's previous game against Pittsburgh, a 3-2 loss on Oct. 25 at PPG Paints Arena.

Penguins projected lineup

Conor Sheary -- Sidney Crosby -- Patric Hornqvist
Carl Hagelin -- Evgeni Malkin -- Phil Kessel
Chris Kunitz -- Nick Bonino -- Bryan Rust
Scott Wilson -- Matt Cullen -- Tom Kuhnhackl
Brian Dumoulin -- Kris Letang
Olli Maatta -- Trevor Daley
Ian Cole -- Justin Schultz
Matt Murray
Marc-Andre Fleury
Scratched:Steve Oleksy, Eric Fehr
Injured: None

Panthers projected lineup

Reilly Smith -- Aleksander Barkov -- Jaromir Jagr
Jussi Jokinen -- Vincent Trocheck -- Colton Sceviour
Denis Malgin -- Nick Bjugstad -- Paul Thompson
Seth Griffith -- Derek MacKenzie -- Kyle Rau
Keith Yandle -- Jason Demers
Jakub Kindl -- Aaron Ekblad
Mark Pysyk -- Mike Matheson
Roberto Luongo
James Reimer
Scratched:Shawn Thornton, Dylan McIlrath
Injured:Jonathan Huberdeau (lower body), Alexander Petrovic (lower body), Jonathan Marchessault (lower body)

Status report

The Penguins reassigned defenseman Derrick Pouliot and forward Jake Guentzel to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Wednesday. Sullivan said the move was made to provide each with playing time this weekend. … Marchessault is day-to-day with a lower-body injury sustained against Ottawa on Saturday. The Panthers recalled Thompson, who has played third-line right wing, from Springfield of the AHL on Sunday.

Who's hot

Malkin has 11 points during a six-game point streak. He is third in the NHL in scoring and leads the Penguins with 28 points. The defense pair of Ian Cole and Justin Schultz has provided an offensive spark; each has a four-game point streak. Cole has seven points during his streak and Schultz has three goals and six points. … Barkov has three goals in his past four games after failing to score in his previous 21. He is second on the Panthers with 17 points, two fewer than Marchessault.