CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Kris Letang and Bryan Rust's statuses haven't changed. They're still considered day-to-day. But don't be surprised if they make their returns this weekend. Both were full participants in Friday's session at the Lemieux Sports Complex, taking full contact in regular practice sweaters.
"That's obviously the last step, is they were both full-contact today," Mike Sullivan said after practice. "We'll see how they respond."
When asked if either player was ruled out for Saturday's 1:08 p.m. game against the Blues or Sunday's 7:38 p.m. game against the Flyers, Sullivan said they had not been ruled out.
Rust, who said "we'll see" about playing this weekend, said he feels good and is still taking things day-by-day:
"I feel strong, I feel good. I don't feel like I'm favoring anything," Rust added. "That's definitely a good sign."
Letang said there was still "not a word" on whether or not he'll play in the coming days, as he hadn't had a chance to speak with the training staff yet. But it sounded like he's ready.
"I felt pretty good," he said. "I've been skating forever, so, my conditioning is there. That's for sure."
Letang did briefly stop skating last week when he was dealing with an illness. That pause wasn't a setback, though, and didn't affect his recovery progress.
There were no line rushes to give any clues, with practice featuring a lot of drills and some work with skills coach Ty Hennes. There was a heavy focus on special teams work at practice, though, and both players took part. Letang worked with the second power-play unit, along with Dominik Simon, Jake Guentzel, Nick Bjugstad, and Marcus Pettersson. Rust worked with the top penalty-kill unit against the top power-play unit of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, Patric Hornqvist, and Justin Schultz.
Letang has missed nine games since suffering an upper-body injury in the Stadium Series game in Philadelphia, and Rust has missed eight games since suffering a lower-body injury in Columbus the following game. The Penguins have fared well in their absence, with a record of 7-1-1.
When both players return to the lineup, the coaching staff has personnel decisions to make.
"It's a challenge," Sullivan said. "But it's a good one to have. It means that we've got a real capable group of players here. The guys that have been in the lineup have done a terrific job, but obviously these guys that are coming back are important players for our team."
Olli Maatta, Zach Aston-Reese and Chad Ruhwedel did not practice, as expected. Maatta skated before practice.
TAYLOR'S VIEW
Obviously, Joseph Blandisi goes back down when Rust comes back. That's the easy part.
Where does Rust slot in, though?
Speed is definitely a requirement to play alongside Crosby and Guentzel on the top line. But Jared McCann has proven he's capable of playing in that spot. Sullivan sounds pleased with that combination too, so I'd be surprised if that gets broken up immediately. It seems like the best option for now would be to slot Rust next to Kessel and Malkin on the second line. Simon, Bjugstad and Hornqvist could play on the third line, with Blueger, Cullen, and Wilson on fourth.
The decisions are a bit easier on defense for now. When Letang is ready, Zach Trotman is the odd man out and goes back to Wilkes-Barre. Letang can replace Trotman on the top pairing alongside Dumoulin. Then, the pairings would be the same they were at the start of the Stadium Series game, aside from Erik Gudbranson in place of Ruhwedel.
Hey, Rust and Letang getting healthy is going to be huge for Wilkes-Barre, too. Wilkes-Barre currently sits four points out of a Calder Cup playoff spot. Getting a scorer like Blandisi and their top shutdown defenseman in Trotman back might just give them the push they need to extend the playoff streak to 17 seasons.
