The Penguins' postseason lives are coming down to the wire. If they do make it into the postseason, they're trending toward having a completely healthy roster. They just aren't quite at that point yet.
All of Nick Bonino (lacerated kidney), Dmitry Kulikov (lower-body injury) and Drew O'Connor (suspected upper-body injury) participated in practice with the team Monday. Bonino and Kulikov did so without any limitations, suggesting their returns are near.
After the Penguins' optional morning skate here at PPG Paints Arena Tuesday, Mike Sullivan said Bonino has not been cleared to return to the lineup and that he will not play Tuesday against the Blackhawks. He's appeared in only three games since being re-acquired at the trade deadline.
However, Kulikov was dubbed a game-time decision by Sullivan. It seems like a relatively safe bet that he'll return. Not only did he skate on a defense pairing alongside Jan Rutta at practice Monday, he then hit the ice for Tuesday's morning skate without any limitations or setbacks. He has appeared in only four games since being acquired from the Ducks at the trade deadline.
O'Connor missed Saturday's game against the Red Wings in Detroit after taking a hit up high from Matt Dumba last Thursday. He did make the trip to Detroit, which suggested the injury isn't overly serious. He did not skate with the team Tuesday morning, but did so on his own after practicing in limited fashion Monday. He, too, was dubbed a game-time decision by Sullivan, though it seems less likely that he'll play.
Alex Nylander was once again recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on an emergency basis and will play if O'Connor isn't ready to go.
MORE FROM THE SKATE
• Attendance for the Penguins' optional morning skate Tuesday was rather light after a practice day Monday. Those who participated: Evgeni Malkin, Alex Nylander, Nick Bonino, Marcus Pettersson, Mark Friedman, Dmitry Kulikov, Chad Ruhwedel, Casey DeSmith.
• Pettersson has looked really good out on the ice with his teammates, but don't forget that he cannot be activated from long-term injured reserve until Thursday, which falls on the same day as the regular-season finale against the Blue Jackets in Columbus.
• Tristan Jarry will get the nod between the pipes for his third consecutive start. He allowed a total of nine goals over two starts recently, but followed that up with a strong showing in back-to-back games against the Wild and Red Wings, allowing a total of just two goals. On the season, he's 24-12-6 with a .910 save percentage, 2.89 goals against average and 1.2 goals saved above expected based on the quality of chances he's faced, per Evolving-Hockey.
• Petr Mrazek is expected to start in goal for the Blackhawks. He did not start last night in their 4-2 loss to the Wild. He's 9-22-3 with an .892 save percentage and 3.71 goals against average while allowing 3.2 more goals than expected.
• Assuming the available forward personnel will be the same as Saturday's victory over the Red Wings in Detroit, here's how the Penguins are expected to line up:
Jake Guentzel - Sidney Crosby - Bryan Rust
Jason Zucker - Evgeni Malkin - Rickard Rakell
Mikael Granlund - Ryan Poehling - Alex Nylander
Danton Heinen - Jeff Carter - Josh Archibald
Brian Dumoulin - Kris Letang
P.O Joseph - Jeff Petry
Dmitry Kulikov - Jan Rutta
• If you missed it, the Islanders lost in regulation Monday night and the Panthers lost in overtime. The Penguins will qualify for the postseason if they win their final two games. Taylor Haase has more on that here.
• Puck drops at 7:38 p.m. against the Blackhawks tonight here at PPG Paints Arena. I'll be there with Dejan Kovacevic for your coverage.
