Defenseman Brian Dumoulin pulled on a white jersey and stepped onto the ice Saturday at PPG Paints Arena for his first full-contact practice since surgery to repair a broken jaw, the result of taking a slap shot to the face courtesy of the New Jersey Devils’ Andy Greene Dec. 27.
“It was good to be able to push people around and get back to a little bit of physicality for the first time since I broke my jaw,” Dumoulin said after the Penguins’ brief afternoon practice. “It was good to get out there and be cleared for physical contact. I think that’s a good step.”
Dumoulin reported feeling normal, and he showed no hesitation on the ice. The only noticeable difference was the bulky shield protecting his jaw. Dumoulin is no longer required to wear the full shield — a look that reminded him of his college hockey days at Boston College — but, until team doctors sign off, he’ll be stuck wearing the smaller shield to, well, save face.
“That’s one thing that takes some getting used to,” Dumoulin said. “It’s good that I’ve been able to skate with it for a while now, but, obviously, I can’t wait to get that thing off.”
There is no timetable for Dumoulin’s return. Initially expected to miss four to six weeks, he is in his fourth week of rehabilitation. Since he didn’t have to get the jaw wired shut, he said, he has been “pretty much” able to eat, sleep and play hockey with no noticeable problems. For now, he’s waiting on the doctors to determine when the jaw is set, stable and fully healed.
Dumoulin, who has seven assists in 35 games this season, traveled with the Penguins on their road swing through Montreal and Raleigh, N.C. He missed the previous trip, since it fell on the 10-day window in which he was supposed to stay off the ice. Getting back into a routine and back in practice — even just in a green non-contact jersey at first — was a relief.
“The good thing with the jaw is when you’re playing with [the injury] you don’t really think about it,” Dumoulin said. “If your shoulder is hurt or your ankle is hurt, you can kind of feel it ache. A jaw is a jaw. Unless it gets pushed or hit again, I think it should be fine.”
No days off
An even less likely full participant in practice Saturday was winger Scott Wilson, who left in the third period of the Penguins’ 7-1 win Friday night after landing awkwardly on his left arm after a hit from Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Matt Tennyson. Wilson said he didn’t see Tennyson until the last second and tried to twist away to protect himself before hitting the ice.
“There was a little bit of pain at the beginning, and, with the score being what it was, there was no reason to force me back in there,” Wilson said. “I feel great this morning. Shocked at how good I felt this morning, actually, and will be ready to go [Sunday].”
Coach Mike Sullivan, for one, was not surprised to see Wilson bounce back so quickly, adding: “He’s a tough kid. He wants to play.”
Patric pulls punch
Right winger Patric Hornqvist shrugged off a kerfuffle with Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward. On the Penguins’ sixth goal Friday, Hornqvist came in late, poking for the puck around Ward’s pads, and Ward responded by delivering a right-handed haymaker to Hornqvist’s face with his blocker.
“He was probably frustrated,” Hornqvist said. “That’s part of the game.”
Hornqvist said he didn’t believe the punch demanded more punishment than a two-minute penalty.
Stephen J. Nesbitt: snesbitt@post-gazette.com and Twitter @stephenjnesbitt.
First Published: January 22, 2017, 5:08 a.m.