CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- The Penguins were given a day off between Games 3 and 4. In the case of Patric Hornqvist, conspicuously absent from Tuesday's practice, it's going to be at least three days off.
Mike Sullivan ruled out Hornqvist for Wednesday night's game in Philadelphia with an upper body injury. It was not immediately clear how Hornqvist was injured, but presumably it occurred in the 5-1 win over the Flyers in Game 3. Sullivan declined to go into details other than to say that Hornqvist is "day to day."
The Penguins will look to take a 3-1 series lead at Wells Fargo Center, but they will have to do so without their fourth-leading playoff scorer. Hornqivst has a point in each of the first three games, including this goal in Game 2:
“Horny is not an easy guy to replace, he’s a unique player for us. So he brings a lot,” Sullivan said. “So, by committee, we’re going to have to pick up the pieces and make sure that the opportunities are given to others that Horny normally fills. They’re going to get a greater opportunity to help this team win a game. We believe we have the personnel to do it. We think we have depth at the forward position and this is one of the reasons why. This is what makes our team competitive. It’s an opportunity that presents itself. So guys are going to have to step up, they're going to get an opportunity to step up and I think they’re excited about it.”
With Hornqvist out, the Penguins practiced with rookie Dominik Simon on the top line while Jake Guentzel took over Hornqvist's role as the net-front presence on the first power play unit. Hornqvist had just been moved up to the top line for Game 3 after Sullivan adjusted his lines.
Simon has played on the top line with Crosby before, although not in some time. The Czech last played March 25 at Philadelphia. In 33 games this season, Simon had 12 points (four goals and eight assists) but just one assist in his last 11 games.
Another option on the top line and first power play unit could be Zach Aston-Reese, who has slotted in at both left and right wing in the past. Prior to suffering an upper body injury that kept him out for nearly a month, Aston-Reese had success filling in for Hornqvist, recording four goals in 10 games while Hornqvist was out with a lower body injury.
Aston-Reese has since settled into a fourth-line role. He has six hits in the first three games against the Flyers and has shown himself to be a disruptive force on the forecheck.
"I think speed and the overall pace has been a lot higher," Aston-Reese said of his playoff experience to date. "I think moving forward, it's going to get a lot more physical."
The 23-year-old says he needs to find a balance between being physical and being disciplined. His boarding penalty at the end of the first period resulted in Shayne Gostisbehere's power play goal which gave the Flyers the lead in Game 2:
"You never want to be the guy that puts your team down and unfortunately that happened to me the other night and we were down 1-o at the end of the period," Aston-Reese said.
Kris Letang also did not practice Tuesday, though Sullivan confirmed it was a "maintenance day." Letang had been injured in Game 2 after absorbing a big hit in a collision with the Flyers' captain, Claude Giroux:
Prior to Sunday's game in Philadelphia, Sullivan confirmed that Letang was not looked at for a concussion. He ended up playing a game-high 25:40 in Game 3 while recording two assists, giving him three points in the series.
• Here are the lines and pairs from Tuesday's practice, sans Hornqvist and Letang:
Guentzel-Crosby-Simon
Hagelin-Malkin-Kessel
Sheary-Brassard-Rust
Aston-Reese-Sheahan-Kuhnhackl
Dumoulin-Hunwick
Maatta-Schultz
Olesksiak-Ruhwedel
• With Letang missing, Jamie Oleksiak worked with Olli Maatta as the defense pair on the second PP unit.
• Josh Jooris took some reps in Riley Sheahan's place on the fourth line. Jooris has yet to play in the series.
• Carter Rowney continues to practice in full, though he did not take part in rushes.
• The Penguins announced that Friday's Game 5 at PPG Paints Arena will start at 7:08 p.m. and will be televised locally on AT&T Sports Net Pittsburgh.
