[UPDATE] Pre-Game Notes (Pittsburgh VS Montreal - GAME 3) - Bylsma On Staal & the Roster

[UPDATE]

DB on roster updates:
"Jordan Staal, there were a few chuckles when I said he was day-to-day. But he is day-to-day. He is progressing. He was on the ice for a short time without his gear on testing out his foot and his skate. He’ll remain day-to-day and doing well. Being the playoffs, Bill Guerin is just a maintenance (day) and will be game-time (decision). Mark Letestu was on one of the four lines today. He’s a guy we would insert into the center position if need be."

DB on the risks of playing Staal:
"We would not be risking anything in terms of his health. You’d have to talk to a doctor about the procedure. There is no risk right now. He has to heal from the surgical wound and get back in his boot and be comfortable playing. It’s not a risk in terms of weighing if he should play."

GUERIN
the Penguins webpage reported that Bill Guerin was absent from this morning's skate and the line combinations were "adjusted" as follows:

LINE COMBINATIONS (projected from this morning's skate)
Ponikarovsky-Malkin-Talbot
Cooke-Letestu-Kennedy
Kunitz-Crosby-Dupuis ... is this RIGHT - this is the third line (perhaps because HC Bylsma doesn't have the "matchup" choices?)???
Rupp-Adams-Fedotenko

• perhaps these lines are a better fit for the opposing team's match-ups in the previous two games ... I'm not sure the reasoning, but we'll see come gametime (aside from the fact that HC Bylsma has been switching it up after the first few line changes of the game anyway)

STAAL UPDATE
the Penguins webpage also reported that Staal skated for about five minutes prior to the morning skate, so I'm thinking he's anxious to get back and as much as we're anxious to have him back in the lineup I'm HOPING that he doesn't push it (and the the Penguins medical staff doesn't allow him to push it either)!

MONTREAL INJURY / LINE INFO

• Jaroslav Spacek (D) was back on the ice this morning since being out of the lineup since Game 3 against Washington with chest congestion, but his status is still "day-to-day with a virus"
• And, of course, Andrei Markov (D) is out for the rest of the season with a lower-body injury