As expected, Patric Hornqvist will miss Saturday night's game against the Blue Jackets.
Mike Sullivan confirmed that Hornqvist suffered a concussion late in the second period of Friday night's overtime loss in Boston. With 5:05 to go in the second period, Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller checked Hornqvist hard into the corner, where it appeared that Hornqvist lost his balance and went head first into the dasher:
Given the nature of the injury, there is no timeframe for when he might return. Following tonight's game
"He does so much for us," Sullivan said of his top-line right winger. "The energy that he brings, the positive attitude. All of that stuff is infectious. He has such a great influence on our team, both in the dressing rom and on the bench. He's just such a great teammates and his on-ice stuff speaks for itself. He's a unique player for us. He's really good in front of the net and in the battle areas. He's a fearless player. That's what makes him what he is. It's certainly a tough loss for us."
• Earlier Saturday, the Penguins announced that they recalled Garrett Wilson from Wilkes-Barre.
• Casey DeSmith will get the start in goal while Joonas Korpisalo will be in goal for Columbus.
• Derek Grant will be a game-time decision. Grant had been given a maintenance day from practice on Thursday but was then made a game-time decision and did not play vs. the Bruins.
• Despite the Penguins' slow start, John Tortorella says he fully expects to see Pittsburgh in the playoffs come springtime. The Blue Jackets' fiery coach said he wouldn't call tonight a rivalry game, but it's a good test for the Metropolitan Division-leading Blue Jackets.
"They're a good hockey club," Tortorella said. "If there's one team that should know, we should know it. Eventually you're going to have to come here when it's all said and done come April. You enjoy these games, it's one the better teams in the league. I don't care what their record is."
Tortorella, who has been a mentor for Sullivan over the years, expressed the same thoughts this time a year ago after the Penguins struggled at the start of last season.
• Tortorella declined to get into Jack Johnson and the Penguins defenseman's remarks last July about coming to a "winning culture" upon signing with Pittsburgh. "I'm just worried about this game here tonight," he said.
• Columbus' coach extended his personal condolences and that of the Blue Jackets organization to the family of Mick McGeogh, the former NHL referee who died Saturday at age 62 following a stroke.
"He'd come over to you and give it to you when he felt he was being take advantage of, and you'd give it back to him," Tortorella said. "But at the end of the day, there was a mutual respect, there's communication. We lost a good one. Forget about the hockey, we lost a good person at the tender age of 62. It just sucks."
• Speaking of which, Tortorella offered his thoughts on the development of Pierre-Luc Dubois, the Blue Jackets' center who should garner some serious Selke consideration.
"He sucked last night," the coach deadpanned of Dubois' game in a 4-2 home win over Toronto. In the five games prior, Dubois had nine points. He later added that Dubois has "arguably been our best player this year."
• Other than Korpisalo, Tortorella said his team will ice the same lineup:
Panarin-Dubois-Atkinson
Foligno-Jenner-Anderson
Dubinsky-Wennberg-Duclair
Sedlak-Nash-Hannikainen
Murray-Jones
Nutivaara-Savard
Werenski-Harrington
