Mike Sullivan was asked after Friday's morning skate if Kasperi Kapanen would be in the lineup for the Penguins' 7:08 p.m. game against the Golden Knights.
"Tristan Jarry will be our goaltender, everyone else will be a game-time decision."
That's the line that he gives (verbatim), regarding nearly every lineup question that isn't goaltender-related. He doesn't like giving anything away before the game.
However, based on Thursday's line combinations used at practice, it would appear as if Kapanen will be a healthy scratch for the first time this season.
Brian Boyle is the player who figures to get back into the lineup based on those combinations.
After the practice ended, though, the Penguins recalled right wing Valtteri Puustinen from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Puustinen, 22, is Wilkes-Barre's leading scorer with 17 goals and 17 assists in 53 games. This is his second recall to Pittsburgh this season, but after not getting into a game in his first recall, Puustinen is still looking to make his NHL debut.
Sullivan told me after Puustinen's last recall a month ago that the Penguins were "thrilled with Puusty's overall development."
"He's in much better shape," Sullivan said of the steps Puustinen has taken this season. "He's trimmed down, his body fat is down. He's stronger. He's playing with more pace. The development of his hockey game, I think has been terrific."
Puustinen's played on Wilkes-Barre's top line all season. He plays on the top power play. He's not a liability defensively by any means, but he also hasn't played a bottom-six type role at all this season. If he is to crack the lineup during this recall, that might just be where he makes his debut.
I asked Sullivan after Friday's morning skate if he thinks Puustinen's game is one that would allow him to have success in a bottom-six capacity, if that time does come.
"I think he has a game that could play up and down the lineup," Sullivan said. "I think when you look at Puusty's game, his greatest strengths are his offensive instincts, his ability to finish. He can really shoot the puck. For me that's the area of the game where I think Puusty excels. If and when we do put him in the lineup, we're going to try to put him in a position where he can play to those strengths."
In speaking with Penguins director of player development Scott Young earlier this week, it doesn't sound like you could rule out Puustinen could end up in a top-six role either.
"He's got a great shot. A really good playmaker," Young said. "He looks to me like he could play with our high-skilled players."
It remains to be seen when Puustinen's debut will come. Whenever it does come, it sounds like he gives the Penguins a number of options when it comes to where he could fit into a lineup.
MORE FROM THE SKATE
• Jarry, as noted above, will start.
• It was an optional skate. Participants were Jarry, Casey DeSmith, Mark Friedman, P.O Joseph, Chad Ruhwedel, Mike Matheson, Marcus Pettersson, Valtteri Puustinen, Dominik Simon, Kasperi Kapanen, Evgeni Malkin, Brian Boyle, Teddy Blueger
• Ron Hextall spoke after the skate about the trade deadline, contract talks, and more. All of that can be found in a separate story here.
