PITTSBURGH (AP) The Latest on Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final (all times local):
8 p.m.
Carl Hagelin is out of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ lineup, but Jake Guentzel is in. Guentzel took line rushes on the fourth line with Matt Cullen and Patric Hornqvist, who’s back after missing six games with an undisclosed injury.
Pittsburgh has Sidney Crosby centering Game 7 overtime hero Chris Kunitz and Conor Sheary, Evgeni Malkin centering Scott Wilson and Phil Kessel and Nick Bonino between Bryan Rust and Carter Rowney with the usual blue line of Olli Maatta and Trevor Daley, Ron Hainsey with Brian Dumoulin and Justin Schultz with Ian Cole.
With Colin Wilson out and Mike Fisher and Craig Smith back, Nashville has some new-look lines: Colton Sissions centering Filip Forsberg and Pontus Aberg, Fisher between Victor Arvidsson and James Neal, Calle Jarnkrok between Frederick Gaudreau and Smith and Vern Fiddler between Cody McLeod and Auston Watson. Peter Laviolette is sticking with Mattias Ekholm with P.K. Subban, Roman Josi with Ryan Ellis and Matt Irwin with Yannick Weber on defense.
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7:45 p.m.
Another injury has befallen the Nashville Predators, who won’t have forward Colin Wilson available for Game 1. The team announced Wilson was out just prior to the start of warmups.
Nashville was expected to get captain Mike Fisher and Craig Smith back, but add Wilson to Ryan Johansen (compartment syndrome in left thigh) and Kevin Fiala (broken leg) in the walking wounded department.
As warmups began at PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh Penguins winger Carl Hagelin was on the ice but as one of 13 forwards. Coach Mike Sullivan called Hagelin a game-time decision.
One no-doubter for each side is the starting goaltenders. Veteran Pekka Rinne is making his first start in the Cup Final for Nashville, while Matt Murray is back after winning the title last year.
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6:15 p.m.
Commissioner Gary Bettman said Tampa will host the 2018 All-Star weekend, the surest sign yet that the NHL will actually bypass the Olympics.
The Lightning had been rumored to host the event, which will take place Jan. 27-28 at Amalie Arena, but the Olympics remained the elephant in the room. The league has said since early April that it won’t be sending players to Pyeongchang and would be making its 2017-18 schedule as normal, but some held out hope.
The previous time the NHL held an All-Star weekend and sent players to the Olympics was 1998, the first of five trips to the Games.
Bettman also announced that the Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs’ previously reported outdoor game at the Naval Academy will be the start of a series of outdoor games at U.S. service academies.
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6 p.m.
The Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators are set to each get an important player back for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan says winger Patric Hornqvist will be back after missing the past six games with an undisclosed injury. Predators captain Mike Fisher says he’s ”ready to rock” after missing two games with his own undisclosed injury.
Hornqvist hadn’t played since May 13, Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final against the Ottawa Senators. Sullivan called wingers Carl Hagelin and Jake Guentzel game-time decisions.
In addition to Fisher, Nashville could get forward Craig Smith back after the forward missed 12 of the past 13 games with an undisclosed injury. Fisher and Smith took part in the team’s morning skate Monday at PPG Paints Arena.
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