CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Patric Hornqvist is 189 pounds of attitude and aggressiveness.
Some opponents find playing against him to be as much fun as having a pebble -- or maybe a rusty razor blade -- in their skate.
The rest don't find the experience to be nearly that pleasant.
Hornqvist adds an element to the Penguins' lineup that none of his teammates can -- "He's unique to our team, because we don't have a lot of guys like him," Mike Sullivan said -- and indications are that he'll resume doing that when the Penguins face the Islanders Thursday at 7:08 p.m. at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Sullivan, as usual in such cases, proclaimed Hornqvist to be "a game-time decision," but acknowledged that "he certainly had a good practice today, and that's encouraging from our standpoint."
Hornqvist missed the past seven games because of an unspecified lower-body injury, the apparent result of being struck by a shot Nov. 2. He made it through a full-contact workout this afternoon with no difficulty and pronounced himself ready to play when called upon.
"It was nice to get that practice with the team," Hornqvist said. "Get those line rushes and battles in the corners and game-like situations. It was good. It felt good, and I'm excited that everything (is going) the right way."
It's safe to assume that assessment isn't shared by the guys against whom he'll be playing, since competing with Hornqvist tends to be as enjoyable as having your eyeballs massaged with 60-grit sandpaper.
"He's hard to play against," Sullivan said. "He's one of the best net-front guys in the league. We think he's had a good start to the year. He's a good player in so many ways. ... When he's in our lineup, I think we're a better team."
If, as seems likely, that will be the case for the Islanders game, it's conceivable that someone else is ready to move into Hornqvist's spot on the injured list, which includes Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and Nick Bjugstad.
Justin Schultz left practice early, and Sullivan offered neither an explanation for his departure nor an update on his status.
If Schultz can't dress for the game in Brooklyn, Chad Ruhwedel presumably would replace him in the lineup. Ruhwedel moved into Schultz's spot as Marcus Pettersson's partner after Schultz left the workout. With Letang out, Schultz is the Penguins' best offensive defenseman, so losing him would be a significant blow.
It could be offset somewhat, however, by getting Hornqvist back, and not only for what he contributes on the ice.
"He's just ultra-competitive, and he's vocal" Sullivan said. "He's a real positive guy, but he gets mad when it doesn't go the right way. He brings juice to the bench, he brings it to the locker room. He's just a good teammate. He's very invested in helping the team win."
The Penguins went 3-2-2 in the games Hornqvist missed, and he professed to be impressed by what he saw during that time.
"They're playing the right way," Hornqvist said. "They're playing hard for each other and they've done a lot of good things out there. The results are going to come if we keep playing (like) this."
The chances of that should be enhanced if Hornqvist is able to have his usual impact.
"He's a guy who plays hard the full 60 minutes," Jake Guentzel said. "He's going to bring everything he's got. You know what you're going to get with him, and we'd be happy to get him back."
Which is a sentiment that no one on the other 30 teams is likely to share.
Also today:
• The game in Brooklyn will be the Penguins' second in 48 hours against the Islanders, who rallied for two goals late in the third period Tuesday en route to a 5-4 overtime victory. "It's a good opportunity for us to turn the page, focus on the next one and try to make up for whatever happened last night," Bryan Rust said.
• Sullivan declined to say whether Matt Murray or Tristan Jarry will start in goal Thursday, but praised the way Jarry has handled his role as the backup. "It's a different type of challenge, where you have to keep yourself ready," he said. "You have to work really hard in practice every day. You almost have to treat every practice like it's your game and Tristan, to his credit, has done that." Whoever doesn't start in Brooklyn is expected to play Friday against New Jersey at PPG Paints Arena.
• Letang had a long, often-demanding workout before his teammates practiced. While the precise nature of his injury has not been divulged, Letang showed no obvious indication of a physical issue while skating and shooting.
• The Penguins used these personnel combinations during practice:
Jake Guentzel -- Evgeni Malkin -- Bryan Rust
Dominik Kahun -- Jared McCann -- Brandon Tanev
Alex Galchenyuk -- Joseph Blandisi -- Sam Lafferty/Patric Hornqvist
Zach Aston-Reese -- Teddy Blueger -- Dominik Simon
Brian Dumoulin -- John Marino
Marcus Pettersson -- Chad Ruhwedel
Jack Johnson -- Juuso Riikola
