Penguins to have Jeff Carter, Evgeni Malkin Saturday at Red Wings

The Pittsburgh Penguins pulled two points ahead of the rival Washington Capitals in the all-important battle for third place in the Metropolitan Division standings via Thursday's impressive 4-0 victory over the Boston Bruins that was notched without having injured first-choice goaltender Tristan Jarry in the lineup. 

Pittsburgh endured a scare in the third period of that contest, though, when forward Jeff Carter left the ice with an unspecified lower-body injury. According to Wes Crosby of the NHL's website, Carter was a full participant in Friday's practice session, and Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters the 37-year-old should be good to go for Saturday's matchup at the Detroit Red Wings. 

As noted by ESPN stats, Carter has contributed 18 goals and 24 assists on the season. 

The good news doesn't end there for Pens fans, as superstar center Evgeni Malkin is set to return Saturday from the four-game suspension he earned for cross-checking Nashville Predators defenseman Mark Borowiecki back on April 10. 

"We haven't had the semblance of our four center-icemen in the lineup together very often this year," Sullivan remarked. "To have those guys down the middle, we believe we have a strong middle with those four centers that we can roll over the boards." 

The Penguins have four games left on their regular-season schedule and will play at the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday afternoon. Washington, meanwhile, has a game in hand over Pittsburgh.