The forward missed a fourth game when the Penguins played the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday (SNW, SNP, ATTSN-PT, BSAZ, ESPN+, NHL LIVE). Zucker missed seven games with a lower-body injury before returning with two goals against the Vegas Golden Knights on Jan. 17.
Zucker reaggravated the injury in the game against Vegas but fully participated in practice Jan. 19. He was then unavailable for a 6-4 win against the Ottawa Senators on Jan. 20.
"He's dealing with the same lower-body injury that held him out for a month," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said after the game against the Senators. "So that's his case."
Pittsburgh, which had won five in a row and 16 of its past 18 games, practiced with all of its regular players for the first time this season on Jan. 19. Zucker is one of four players to be injured since then.
Forward Teddy Blueger is expected to be out 6-8 weeks after having surgery to repair a fractured jaw Monday. Goalie Louis Domingue has a lower-body injury caused by a shot from teammate Brian Boyle during a morning skate Jan. 20.
Forward Zach Aston-Reese returned against the Coyotes after missing one game with a lower-body injury.
"Just kind of go about it the same way we've done it all year," Aston-Reese said. "The next-man-up mentality. It's been working for us."
Zucker, in his third season with the Penguins, was second-line left wing with center Evgeni Malkin and right wing Kasperi Kapanen. He scored 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in 31 games this season and 43 points (21 goals, 22 assists) in 84 games since being acquired in a trade from the Minnesota Wild on Feb. 10, 2020.
Danton Heinen replaced Zucker on the second line.
"It's always tough when you're out," Zucker said after practice Jan. 16. "You want to be contributing. ... Everybody wants to play. Everyone is playing through some sort of injury at some point. It's very rare if you're 100 percent healthy."
