CRANBERRY, Pa. -- The Penguins' mantra this season has been "next man up."
Once again this season, that mantra is going to be put to the test in a big way.
Jake Guentzel was absent from the Penguins' practice at the Lemieux Complex on Wednesday, and Mike Sullivan announced afterward that Guentzel is considered "week-to-week" with an upper-body injury.
It's not confirmed how Guentzel sustained the injury or what the injury is, but one likely possibility is that it is related to when Guentzel's right hand got hit with a puck in Monday's game in Seattle. Guentzel got hit in the first period and took one shift afterward before heading to the locker room for the remainder of the period. He was back on the Penguins' bench for the start of the second period and was able to finish the game, scoring two goals in the process.
"It's next man up, as we have had for a few years now," Marcus Pettersson said after practice. "It's no different. New guys got to step up with new opportunities."
Based on the line combinations used in Wednesday's practice, it appears as if Kasperi Kapanen stands to get that new opportunity as a result of Guentzel's absence.
Kapanen skated on the top line as Sidney Crosby's right wing during the entirety of the five-on-five work, with Evan Rodrigues moving from the right side to the left.
"Those are pretty big shoes to fill, obviously," Kapanen said of replacing Guentzel on the top line. "Jake's been one of our best players -- if not our best player -- for a long period now. I'll just use my speed and try to get open, try to get (Crosby) and (Rodrigues) the puck because they've been playing some good hockey lately."
Kapanen, who spent the last two games on the third line alongside Brock McGinn and Teddy Blueger, didn't exactly seem thrilled with his own play as of late when asked to assess his performance Wednesday.
"Terrible, thanks," he said.
Kapanen's last goal came on Nov. 26, the lone goal in a 1-0 win over the Islanders on Long Island. He recorded two assists against at home against Montreal the following night, then went scoreless on the four-game western road trip, recording a combined seven shots and minus-1 rating.
The coaching staff is hoping that the opportunity on Crosby's line boosts Kapanen's game.
"I think his speed could be really advantageous for Sid and his linemates," Sullivan said of Kapanen. "You know, I think he has finishing ability. So if he plays with Sid and E-Rod, for example, both of those guys have the ability to get him the puck, and he has finishing ability. ... He's big, he's strong, he can skate, he can protect pucks, and he's brave. He's not afraid to go to the traffic areas."
Kapanen hasn't played alongside Crosby yet this season, but he did for a brief period of time -- about six games -- last February.
Looking back at that time, when both Kapanen and Crosby were on the ice together at five-on-five, the Penguins scored four goals and allowed two in 91:51 of ice time. The Penguins controlled 46.99% of shot attempts, 41.94% of high-danger attempts, and 43.53% of shots on goal.
Kapanen spoke about what he'll need to do to find success on that line moving forward.
"In the offensive zone, you've got to stay tight and get pucks," Kapanen said. "He's really good at that. He's been doing that for years. Just being close, being available and kind of that grind game in the corners. Mostly just get him the puck. I mean, he's one of the best players to ever play the game. So let him and and Rod do their thing."
MORE FROM PRACTICE
• Jason Zucker also missed practice, but Sullivan said his absence was just a maintenance day.
• Evgeni Malkin again participated in a non-contact jersey. He rotated in on the fourth line during five-on-five work.
• Bryan Rust still hasn't skated, even individually. Before practice he was standing on the bench in workout clothes stickhandling and taking shots out of the bench door.
• The Penguins used these lines and pairings:
Evan Rodrigues – Sidney Crosby – Kasperi Kapanen
Drew O'Connor – Jeff Carter – Danton Heinen
Zach Aston-Reese – Teddy Blueger – Brock McGinn
Dominik Simon – Brian Boyle – Sam Lafferty
(Malkin rotating in on fourth line)
Brian Dumoulin – Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson – John Marino
Mike Matheson – Chad Ruhwedel
(Mark Friedman rotating in)
• The top power play was Kris Letang, Crosby, Jeff Carter, Domink Simon, Rodrigues
• The second power play was John Marino, Mike Matheson, Kapanen, Danton Heinen, Drew O'Connor.
• Sullivan said that he believes the team would be "reluctant" to recall anyone from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at this point. Wilkes-Barre hasn't played since Nov. 27 after games originally scheduled for Friday, Saturday, Sunday and today postponed due to COVID protocols. Wilkes-Barre hasn't announced who has tested positive or how many players tested positive, but l heard was that it was upward of five players.
"We've had our fair amount of challenges with COVID already," Sullivan said. "We certainly don't want to invite any more."
• Here's yet another reminder that Friday's game against Washington is an ESPN+ exclusive game. It will not be televised, nationally or locally. It will only be available on ESPN+ or Hulu. More on that here. Prepare accordingly.
• Penguins goaltending prospects Joel Blomqvist (Finland) and Calle Clang (Sweden) were named to their respective teams for the upcoming World Junior Championship, absolutely no surprise given that both are expected to compete for the starting positions. The only Penguins prospect who is a good possibility but not a sure-thing for a World Junior squad is 2021 seventh-round pick Kirill Tankov, a forward. Russia has yet to name their World Junior squad as of Wednesday.
