CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Mike Sullivan isn't ready to announce that Sidney Crosby and Jeff Carter will be in the Penguins' lineup Saturday night.
Not yet.
Not. quite.
But Sullivan certainly seemed optimistic about the likelihood of having one -- and probably both -- in uniform against the Devils after watching them in practice Friday.
He labeled Crosby and Carter "game-time decisions," which generally seems to mean that, barring a setback, the player is expected to be in the lineup.
Crosby has missed the Penguins' first seven games of the season while recovering from wrist surgery, while Carter sat out the past three because he was in the NHL's COVID-19 protocol.
"(Carter's) practice today was real encouraging," Sullivan said. "He responded really well to the practice. I talked to him after practice and he was really encouraged. ... Sid is a similar circumstance. He will be a game-time decision, as well. Certainly, we were really encouraged with his practice today."
Crosby and Carter both filled prominent roles during the workout. Crosby skated between Jake Guentzel and Evan Rodrigues on the top line and Carter centered Jason Zucker and Kasperi Kapanen on the No. 2 unit.
Both were on the No. 1 power play.
Crosby, it should be noted, had worked on the top line during practice Wednesday, but did not dress for the Penguins' 4-0 loss to the Flames the following night.
Still, having him absorb contact and take faceoffs with no apparent problem, as Crosby did Friday, is a positive development for the Penguins.
"Some of the drills we did out there were game-real," Sullivan said.
Crosby has looked game-ready for about a week, based on his performance during practices, but Sullivan noted that there are other issues that influence when an injured player should return.
"There are stages that players need to go through in longer rehabs, like his case," he said.
Carter hasn't been sidelined nearly as long as Crosby, but was off the ice for 10 days while in the protocol. Although he was able to ride a stationary bike while isolating in his basement, the layoff still could have an impact on his conditioning.
"I was able to do some stuff, conditioning-wise, on the bike," Carter said. "But nothing really simulates being out on the ice."
How long he'll need to get back to the fitness level he had reached before his positive diagnosis is hard to predict, but Brian Boyle doesn't seem to believe it will take much time,
"He's a freak, in a good way," Boyle said. "He's a horse."
Crosby, meanwhile, is nothing less than a thoroughbred. His wrist will have to prove that it can hold up to the rigors of games, but there won't be any questions about his conditioning. Not after all the work he has put in in recent weeks to get ready for his return.
"You don't have that kind of career by accident," Boyle said. "That's leadership, in my opinion, how he's worked to try to get back to the level he's accustomed to."
MORE FROM THE PRACTICE
• Boyle said his six-year-old son who is a big Crosby fan, and was disappointed when he received a Penguins sweater from his dad. "He turned it around, and I saw the disappointment on his face when he saw "BOYLE 11" on it," Boyle said.
• Juuso Riikola looks as if he'll make his 2021-22 debut Saturday. He manned the right side on a pairing with Marcus Pettersson and was deployed on the No. 2 power play. "He has offensive ability," Rodrigues said. "He has a bomb of a one-timer. If he just plays his game, he'll fit right in and he'll do a great job."
• Boyle, on the sex-abuse scandal involving former Blackhawks prospect Kyle Beach: "Everybody feels for Kyle and what he's gone through. Unfortunately, the world we live in, it happens in all walks of life. You're taken advantage of, and a lot of times, people have to suffer in silence. It's one of the evils of the world that you just can't grasp."
• Sullivan said Kris Letang, who is in the COVID-19 protocol and has shown symptoms of the illness, "feels a lot better" and rode a stationary bike for 30 minutes Thursday. "He told me his energy is much better," Sullivan said. "He's improving every day."
• Bryan Rust and Evgeni Malkin worked out together on the ice before the team practice, then joined Crosby and Carter on the second rink when those two got in a little pre-practice work. Sullivan said Malkin is "on schedule" in his return from knee surgery. The most recent prognosis announced has Malkin playing in December.
• Before practice, the Penguins returned forward Kasper Bjorkqvist to their farm team in Wilkes-Barre. He did not get into a game after being brought up Monday.
• Personnel combinations:
Jake Guentzel–Sidney Crosby–Evan Rodrigues
Jason Zucker–Jeff Carter–Kasperi Kapanen
Zach Aston-Reese–Teddy Blueger–Brock McGinn
Drew O’Connor–Brian Boyle-Danton Heinen
Brian Dumoulin–John Marino
Mike Matheson-Chad Ruhwedel
Marcus Pettersson-Juuso Riikola
Spares: Sam Lafferty, Dominik Simon and Mark Friedman.
No. 1 power play: Crosby,Carter, Kapanen, Guentzel and Marino
No. 2 power play: Matheson, Riikola, Zucker, Heinen and Rodrigues
