Morning skate report: Penguins vs. Avalanche

The Penguins will attempt to fill the void left by Olli Maatta with new defensive pairings tonight.

Head coach Mike Johnston said he planned to bump up defenseman Rob Scuderi to the top pairing with Kris Letang. He wanted to leave Brian Dumoulin and Ben Lovejoy together in the second pair. Ian Cole and Adam Clendening will make up the third pairing.

David Warsofsky was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton as a seventh defenseman, but will not play tonight against the visiting Colorado Avalanche, Johnston said.

Of note:

■ Maatta was at the rink and in good spirits, according to his teammates. He will miss just 3-4 weeks after spending the night in the hospital after the shove by thr Wild’s Nino Niederreiter sent him into the boards right when the door opened Tuesday night. Players said they were relieved to hear he may be back in about a month after initial fears of internal organ damage went unfounded.

■ Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, will be well represented tonight with native sons Sidney Crosby and Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon.

MacKinnon, who is in his third NHL season, leads the Avs with eight goals and 12 assists in 18 games.

“I’m happy for him that he’s doing well,” Crosby said. “When you go out there, you’re competing against one another. He probably understands that more than anybody. I don’t think he’d expect an easy night. We’re out there to compete and put the friendship aside.”

■ Warsofsky leaves behind a streaking club in Wilks-Barre/Scranton. The Baby Pens have won a record 11 straight.

“I think any hockey player will tell you when you’re winning it’s always a lot of fun,” Warsofsky said. “It’s fun when you go to the rink every day. They have that swagger and expect to win every day. Hopefully they keep it going.”

■ Former Penguins Blake Comeau and Jerome Iginla were in town with the Avalanche.