Jets at Penguins preview

JETS (1-2-0) at PENGUINS (1-1-0)
7 p.m. ET; ATTSN-PT, TSN3, NHL.TV

Each center sustained a lower-body injury during a 7-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. Malkin and Bjugstad were placed on injured reserve Monday and are expected to be out long term.
Jared McCann will play second-line center in place of Malkin. Teddy Blueger will likely replace Bjugstad at third-line center.
The Jets, who are concluding a season-opening four-game road trip, will be without defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, who was granted a personal leave. He is celebrating the birth of his second child, according to a post from his wife's Instagram page.
Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey will miss his second straight game after sustaining an upper-body injury during warmups prior to a 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders on Sunday.

Players to watch

Jets forward Mark Scheifele has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 11 games against the Penguins. He has three points (one goal, two assists) in three games this season.
Penguins forward Brandon Tanev will face his former team for the first time since signing with Pittsburgh on July 1. He played his first four NHL seasons with the Jets.

They said it

"It's all about growth for that blue line. We've got new pairings. ... You've got to rally some guys. Have lots of confidence in their ability to move the puck." -- Jets coach Paul Maurice on Winnipeg's defensemen
"When the puck drops, there's no friends on the ice." -- Penguins forward Brandon Tanev

Jets projected lineup

Patrik Laine -- Mark Scheifele -- Blake Wheeler
Kyle Connor -- Andrew Copp -- Nikolaj Ehlers
Gabriel Bourque -- Adam Lowry -- Mark Letestu
Mathieu Perreault -- Jack Roslovic -- Mason Appleton
Ville Heinola -- Neal Pionk
Anthony Bitetto -- Tucker Poolman
Carl Dahlstrom --
Sami Niku
Connor Hellebuyck
Laurent Brossoit
Scratched: David Gustafsson, Dmitry Kulikov, Nelson Nogier
Injured: Bryan Little (concussion), Nathan Beaulieu (upper body), Josh Morrissey (upper body)
Suspended: Dustin Byfuglien

Penguins projected lineup

Jake Guentzel -- Sidney Crosby -- Dominik Simon
Alex Galchenyuk -- Jared McCann -- Brandon Tanev
Zach Aston-Reese -- Teddy Blueger -- Patric Hornqvist
Sam Lafferty -- Andrew Agozzino -- Dominik Kahun
Brian Dumoulin -- Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson -- Justin Schultz
Jack Johnson -- Erik Gudbranson
Matt Murray
Tristan Jarry
Scratched: Juuso Riikola, John Marino, Chad Ruhwedel
Injured: Evgeni Malkin (lower body), Nick Bjugstad (lower body), Bryan Rust (upper body)

Status report

The Jets placed Little on injured reserve and recalled Niku and Nogier from Manitoba of the American Hockey League on Tuesday. ... Agozzino is expected to play his first game for the Penguins. He has played 21 NHL games, all with the Colorado Avalanche, across three seasons since 2014. ... Lafferty could make his NHL debut.

Stat pack

Wheeler needs one point to reach 700 in the NHL. He has three points (two goals, one assist) in three games this season. ... Crosby is one point from passing
Jean Beliveau
for sole possession of 41st on the NHL's all-time points list with 1,220. He has three assists in two games this season.