Letang (illness) will return from a three-game absence in Friday's game versus the Jets.
Letang is poised to resume his top-four role as well as his power-play duties in his first action since Nov. 13. The 37-year-old defenseman has struggled this season, posting six points, 47 shots on net, 35 hits, 20 blocked shots and a minus-10 rating over 18 appearances.
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Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Not returning Friday
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Hayes (upper body) remains on injured reserve and won't play Friday versus the Jets, Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Hayes was considered a game-time decision, but the Penguins may not want to put him in line to play on back-to-back days right after an injury. Friday will be his eighth straight absence, and he should be considered questionable to play Saturday versus Utah.
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Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Considered game-time call
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Hayes (upper body) will be a game-time decision versus Winnipeg on Friday, Penguins play-by-play announcer Josh Getzoff reports.
Hayes will need to be activated off injured prior to suiting up in a contest, including Friday's matchup with Winnipeg. The 32-year-old center has missed the last seven contests due to his upper-body injury. Even before getting hurt, Hayes was stuck in a six-game pointless streak dating back to Oct. 22 versus Calgary.
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Penguins' Tristan Jarry: Between pipes Friday
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Jarry will defend the home crease versus Winnipeg on Friday, according to Penguins play-by-play announcer Josh Getzoff.
Jarry will make his second straight start and third in the last four games as Alex Nedeljkovic will once again watch from the bench. It has not been a good season at the NHL level for Jarry as he is 1-2-1 with a 4.72 GAA and an .863 save percentage in five appearances. It won't get any easier Friday as Jarry will face the Jets, who are the best team in the NHL with a 16-3-0 record.
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Penguins' Kris Letang: Game-time call Friday
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Letang (illness) will be a game-time decision against the Jets on Friday, Penguins play-by-play announcer Josh Getzoff reports.
Letang looks poised to return from a three-game absence due to his illness. Prior to being sidelined, the 37-year-old blueliner was mired in a 14-game goal drought dating back to Oct. 14 versus the Habs. During his goalless streak, the Montreal native managed just three assists, and he's struggled to provide much in the way of offensive upside this season.
Penguins' Samuel Poulin: Nabs first point of season
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Poulin produced an assist in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Lightning.
Poulin has taken over a bottom-six spot in the lineup, relegating Valtteri Puustinen to the press box as a healthy scratch. The assist Tuesday was Poulin's first point in four appearances, to go with one shot on goal, six hits, two PIM and a plus-2 rating. That's not enough production in any area to justify rostering the 23-year-old in most fantasy formats, though it may be enough to keep him in the lineup regularly.
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Penguins' Matt Grzelcyk: Draws helper with man advantage
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Grzelcyk logged a power-play assist and a minus-2 rating in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Lightning.
The helper snapped a six-game point drought for Grzelcyk, but that was about the only positive from his performance. His two points over nine outings in November have both been power-play assist. The 30-year-old defenseman is at eight assists, 23 shots on net, 32 blocked shots and a minus-11 rating through 21 contests overall. Grzelcyk's poor defensive play is part of a larger problem in Pittsburgh, and it's likely only because of his teammates' struggles that he hasn't sat out a game yet.
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Penguins' Marcus Pettersson: Plucks apple in overtime loss
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Pettersson notched an assist and three blocked shots in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to Lightning.
Pettersson has three helpers over his last six contests. The 28-year-old blueliner is often capable of putting up offense that gets him right on the fringe of fantasy interest, with more value in formats that reward his non-scoring contributions. This season, he's racked up nine points, 21 shots on net, 19 PIM, 21 hits, 38 blocked shots and a minus-5 rating over 21 outings. Pettersson should continue to be a fixture in the Penguins' top four.
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Penguins' Jesse Puljujarvi: Goals in consecutive games
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Puljujarvi scored a goal on a team-high five shots in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Lightning.
Puljujarvi opened the scoring at 12:05 of the first period. It was his second goal in as many games, which is helping him maintain a bottom-six job even as the Penguins flounder near the bottom of the standings. The 26-year-old winger is at three goals, eight points, 32 shots on net, 24 hits and a minus-1 rating over 18 appearances this season.
Rakell scored a power-play goal Tuesday in a 3-2 OT loss to the Lightning.
Rakell dropped to one knee for a one-timer from the right circle off a pass from Sidney Crosby. The marker ended a nine-game goal drought and six-game point slump. Rakell is a complementary depth fantasy play who could find himself in another uniform before the deadline. Beware that move -- the winger is in the best fantasy position of his career, and he certainly won't skate with Sid-lite in another city.
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Penguins' Tristan Jarry: Struggles continue
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Jarry allowed three goals in a 3-2 overtime loss to Calgary on Tuesday.
Jarry has allowed at least three goals in each of his five starts this season and is 1-2-1 with a 4.72 goals-against average and an .863 save percentage overall. He was especially bad on the OT winner where he slid far out of his crease, allowing Brayden Point to simply walk around the net and stuff the puck behind him. Jarry recently returned from a stint in the AHL, but he continues to struggle. Bench him until he can get his game together.
Hayes (upper body) will not suit up for Tuesday's home game versus the Lightning, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Hayes will miss a seventh consecutive game, but he skated with the group Tuesday, a positive sign in his recovery. The left-shot forward could replace Samuel Poulin or Matt Nieto in the lineup when he's ready to return. Hayes has accounted for three goals and an assist through 14 games.
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Penguins' Kris Letang: Remains out Tuesday
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Letang (illness) will not be in the lineup versus Tampa Bay on Tuesday, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Letang will be shelved for his third consecutive game due to his lingering illness. Prior to his absence, the 37-year-old blueliner was mired in a 14-game goal drought during which he managed just three assists to go with 41 shots, 26 hits and 18 blocks. With Letang still shelved, Owen Pickering figures to remain in the Pens' lineup versus the Bolts.
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Penguins' Tristan Jarry: In goal Tuesday
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Jarry will tend twine versus Tampa Bay on Tuesday, Penguins play-by-play announcer Josh Getzoff relays.
Jarry will make his fifth appearance of the season Tuesday. The 29-year-old had a rough outing in his return from a conditioning stint Friday -- he allowed five goals in a loss to Columbus. With Alex Nedeljkovic struggling, Jarry could have a chance to reclaim the No. 1 role between the pipes. Jarry will face a Lightning club putting up 3.56 goals per game through 16 contests.
Pickering logged an assist in Saturday's 4-3 shootout win over the Sharks.
While it was a fairly tame first assignment, Pickering was able to handle third-pairing duties in the absence of Kris Letang (illness). It didn't take long for Pickering to earn his first point, as he helped out on a Jesse Puljujarvi tally in the first period. Pickering won't solve all of the Penguins' defensive problems, but he has a chance to make a push to stick around after failing to make the team out of camp. The 20-year-old blueliner is unlikely to be a future fantasy stud, but he's a heady player who should be a benefit in his own zone now and in future seasons for Pittsburgh.
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Penguins' Jesse Puljujarvi: Nets goal in shootout win
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Puljujarvi scored a goal on four shots and added two hits in Saturday's 4-3 shootout win over the Sharks.
The tally ended his five-game point drought. Puljujarvi has a tenuous grip on a spot in the lineup, but the Penguins' lack of better options has allowed him to stay in regularly. The winger is at two goals, seven points, 27 shots on net, 22 hits and a minus-2 rating over 17 appearances in a bottom-six role.
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Penguins' Bryan Rust: Finds twine Saturday
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Rust scored a goal on two shots in Saturday's 4-3 shootout win over the Sharks.
Rust has three points, 12 shots on net and a minus-4 rating over five games since he returned from a lower-body injury. The winger is at five goals, two assists, 36 shots on net and a minus-11 rating through 13 contests this season. His offense should increase, but the Penguins' poor play defensively and in goal could lead to some ugly peripheral stats for the 32-year-old.
