PENGUINS (13-7-5) at LIGHTNING (16-8-2)
7 p.m. ET; The Spot, SN-PIT, TVAS
Penguins projected lineup
Kevin Hayes -- Sidney Crosby -- Bryan Rust
Tommy Novak -- Evgeni Malkin -- Anthony Mantha
Rutger McGroarty -- Ben Kindel -- Ville Koivunen
Connor Dewar -- Blake Lizotte -- Bokondji Imama
Ryan Shea -- Kris Letang
Parker Wotherspoon -- Erik Karlsson
Ryan Graves -- Connor Clifton
Tristan Jarry
Arturs Silovs
Scratched: Joona Koppanen, Mathew Dumba
Injured: Rickard Rakell (hand), Caleb Jones (lower body), Justin Brazeau (upper body), Noel Acciari (upper body), Filip Hallander (blood clot)
Lightning projected lineup
Brandon Hagel -- Anthony Cirelli -- Nikita Kucherov
Jake Guentzel -- Nick Paul -- Oliver Bjorkstrand
Zemgus Girgensons -- Yanni Gourde -- Pontus Holmberg
Dominic James -- Curtis Douglas -- Gage Goncalves
J.J. Moser -- Darren Raddysh
Charle-Edouard D'Astous -- Emil Lilleberg
Declan Carlile -- Max Crozier
Jonas Johansson
Brandon Halverson
Scratched: Jack Finley, Steven Santini
Injured: Brayden Point (undisclosed), Ryan McDonagh (undisclosed), Victor Hedman (undisclosed), Erik Cernak (undisclosed), Andrei Vasilevskiy (undisclosed)
Status report
The Penguins held an optional morning skate Thursday. ..Rakell, a forward, will be out for at least three more weeks. ... Vasilevskiy will not dress; Lightning coach Jon Cooper said he expects the goalie to play against the New York Islanders on Saturday. ... Halverson was recalled from Syracuse of the American Hockey League on Thursday and will back up Johansson. ... Crozier will enter the lineup for the first time since Nov. 16.
