COLUMBUS, Ohio — It is not, to be fair, the third line the Penguins would ultimately prefer.
In an ideal world, Derick Brassard’s lower-body injury will heal by playoff time, and he’ll take draws between Phil Kessel and either Bryan Rust or Conor Sheary on the left side. But right now, Brassard is still injured and has yet to skate on his own.
Thursday against Columbus, in a game the Penguins need to win to stake a serious claim to home-ice advantage in the first round, it’ll be Riley Sheahan in Brassard’s spot with Kessel and Sheary.