Penguins Dealing with Some Injuries

After a day off on Monday following a 3-0 shutout win over the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights, the Penguins returned to practice on Tuesday with a few players absent. Unfortunately, it wasn't because the skate was optional. 

It turns out the Penguins have been hit with a few injuries heading into their Metro Division matchup with the red-hot Rangers on Thanksgiving Eve, where they won’t have at least one top-six winger, as Rickard Rakell is longer-term with an upper-body injury.

They could be without two, depending on what happens with Bryan Rust, who is being evaluated for a lower-body injury. Head Coach Mike Sullivan said he doesn’t have more information at this point on Rust, who was on the ice for the start of Tuesday’s practice before leaving early.

As for the blue line, Chad Ruhwedel is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury, and P.O Joseph remains on injured reserve with a nagging lower-body injury.

“Injuries are part of the game, and every team goes through it,” Sullivan said. “Our expectation is that we have enough to win games. I think we have depth at all the positions, and it's going to provide opportunity for others to step up here. So, we'll see where some of these injuries go. But it's part of the game, and we've got to figure out a way to navigate through it and find ways to have success.”

Rakell may have yet to find the back of the net this season, but the five-time 20-goal scorer has played all but one game on Evgeni Malkin’s line. Rust has been a huge part of the success of his line with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel, as he’s tied for second on the team with nine goals in 17 games.

While there are a number of players in the discussion to step up and fill the void created by Rakell and potentially Rust, Sullivan listed three in particular. He began with Vinnie Hinostroza, who skated with his teammates after missing the victory over Vegas with a lower-body injury sustained on Thursday vs. New Jersey.

While Hinostroza’s six games in Pittsburgh have all come on the fourth line, he did get some reps next to Crosby during training camp, as the coaching staff feels like the speedy forward is a ‘next-effort player’ who hunts pucks down.

“I think Sid is a guy that likes playing with those types of players, that can stay on pucks and force turnovers, and just play on top of defensemen and play on top of teams where they can control the game and control territory,” Sullivan said at the time. “I think he has the ability to create momentum, I think he has the ability to create offense on any line that he's on.”

Sullivan also mentioned Alex Nylander, who earned time with Pittsburgh at the end of last season, and got an opportunity with Malkin during training camp. The 25-year-old forward has four goals and six points in his last five games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.

“Alex is a talented kid. He's got real good offensive instincts,” Sullivan said.

Finally, Jansen Harkins is one of the main candidates in the mix. The Penguins claimed him off of waivers from Winnipeg at the end of training camp because they felt like his skating and size could bring an element of physicality and help in their puck pursuit game. Harkins played in the first four games of the season with Pittsburgh before getting re-assigned to WBS, where he’s picked up four goals and nine points in 11 games.

The Penguins claimed blueliner John Ludvig off of waivers from Florida that same day, and it looks like he’ll slot back in on the third pairing with Ryan Shea. As for why the Penguins added the 23-year-old defenseman into the group, it's because like Shea, he brings a different dimension to the group. This would be his first NHL game action in a month, as Ludvig suffered a concussion in his NHL debut on Oct. 24 versus Dallas.

“He was so excited to play his first NHL game, I thought he was playing really well in that first part of the game there,” Sullivan during the blueliner’s rehab process.

The Penguins will be back on the ice for morning skate on Wednesday morning ahead of their matchup with the Rangers. Stay tuned for more potential updates.