Game Day! Penguins Lines Shuffle, D-Pairs, Starter vs. Montreal

The Pittsburgh Penguins lines and those changes will continue from the end of the Vegas game, Thursday. Bryan Rust will slot-in on Sidney Crosby’s right wing while Patric Hornqvist will slide to Derick Brassard’s right side.

Update: the Penguins shuffled the lines in the pregame warmup. See below.

Juuso Riikola, who made his NHL debut Thursday, will have a new partner on his left. Olli Maatta will take the left side and Jamie Oleksiak appears to be getting a night off. Oleksiak and Riikola had the best puck possession numbers of all Penguins players, Thursday. However, Riikola and Oleksiak played sheltered minutes. Follow the Riikola shift by shift recap and analysis on PHN Extra.

Casey DeSmith will get his second consecutive start in the absence of Matt Murray, who is out with a concussion. Murray is on the Penguins road trip but it has not yet been announced when he will return to action. Murray was evaluated by doctors after a full practice session, Friday. It is unclear if Murray or Tristan Jarry will backup DeSmith.

UPDATE: 1:00 p.m.: Matt Murray will backup DeSmith

Sullivan called DeSmith, “the best player on the ice,” after the 4-2 win over Vegas, Thursday. DeSmith stopped 34 of 36 shots, including a couple of remarkable saves in the waning moments of the second period which preserved the Penguins three-goal lead.