PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators both appear to getting healthier for the Stanley Cup final.
Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan announced before Monday's Game 1 that Patric Hornqvist would return from injury and Nashville head coach Peter Laviolette implied that both Mike Fisher and Craig Smith would be available as well.
Hornqvist hasn't played since Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final because of an upper body injury. The 30-year-old has four goals and seven points in 13 games this spring and scored twice in last year's Cup final against San Jose.
Sullivan declined to reveal who Hornqvist would replace, but said that Carl Hagelin and Jake Guentzel would both be "game-time decisions". Guentzel started Game 7 of the Eastern final alongside Sidney Crosby, but was eventually dropped down to the fourth line and finished with a team-low 14 minutes in the double-overtime win.
Fisher's potential addition to the lineup gives a boost down the middle to the Predators, who are without Ryan Johansen for the remainder of the playoffs.
The 36-year-old, who went to the Cup final with Ottawa in 2007, missed the last two games of the Western Conference final with an undisclosed injury.
Smith hasn't played since the second round against St. Louis.
