AVALANCHE (16-13-0) at PENGUINS (12-13-4)
7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, ALT, SNP, SNE, TVAS
Avalanche projected lineup
Artturi Lehkonen -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Mikko Rantanen
Ross Colton -- Casey Mittelstadt -- Valeri Nichushkin
Joel Kiviranta -- Parker Kelly -- Logan O'Connor
Givani Smith -- Ivan Ivan -- Chris Wagner
Devon Toews -- Cale Makar
Samuel Girard -- Sam Malinski
Keaton Middleton -- Calvin de Haan
Scott Wedgewood
Trent Miner
Scratched: John Ludvig
Injured: Mackenzie Blackwood (illness), Josh Manson (upper body), Jonathan Drouin (upper body), Oliver Kylington (undisclosed), Gabriel Landeskog (knee), Tucker Poolman (head), Miles Wood (upper body)
Penguins projected lineup
Rickard Rakell -- Sidney Crosby -- Bryan Rust
Drew O’Connor -- Evgeni Malkin -- Cody Glass
Michael Bunting -- Blake Lizotte -- Jesse Puljujarvi
Kevin Hayes -- Noel Acciari -- Anthony Beauvillier
Owen Pickering -- Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson -- Erik Karlsson
Ryan Graves -- Matt Grzelcyk
Tristan Jarry
Alex Nedeljkovic
Scratched: Matt Nieto, Ryan Shea
Injured: Philip Tomasino (upper body)
Status report
Blackwood did not join the Avalanche in Pittsburgh because of an illness. The goalie was acquired, along with Smith and a fifth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft, in a trade Monday that sent goalie Alexandar Georgiev, forward Nikolai Kovalenko, a fifth-round pick in 2025 and a second-round selection in 2026 to the San Jose Sharks; Smith could make his Avalanche debut. … Miner will back up Wedgewood after being recalled from Colorado of the American Hockey League on Monday. ... Tomasino will be a game-time decision; the forward practiced in a noncontact jersey Monday after missing a 5-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.
