Another day, another important Penguins forward going on injured reserve.
But on Wednesday, it surprisingly was Alex Galchenyuk, not Patric Hornqvist.
Galchenyuk missed practice Wednesday, a day after he logged 18 minutes in a 4-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, and was on the ice when the final horn sounded.
Coach Mike Sullivan said after practice that Galchenyuk would be day-to-day with a lower-body injury that the winger has been “dealing with for a little bit.” But a few hours later, the Penguins announced he was going on injured reserve.
Galchenyuk had a history of knee injuries during his seven seasons with Montreal and Arizona. The 25-year-old missed a week of practice and preseason games in late September with his current injury but was in the Penguins lineup for their first three regular-season games. He notched two assists in those games.
With Galchenyuk now on injured reserve, the Penguins on Wednesday called up Adam Johnson from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.
One week into the regular season, the Penguins have already placed four top-nine forwards on IR — Galchenyuk, Evgeni Malkin, Nick Bjugstad and Bryan Rust. Those four combine to make $22 million. The salary cap ceiling is $81.5 million.
“When teams go through the injury bug like it’s hit our team right now, we’ve got to pull together and find ways to win games,” Sullivan said. “We believe this group is still capable. We still have enough firepower in the lineup every night.”
The Penguins did get decent news regarding Patric Hornqvist on Wednesday. The winger did not practice but Sullivan reported his status is day-to-day.
Hornqvist was hit with a shot during the first period of Tuesday’s loss and limped to the bench. Once there, he hunched in pain and at one point appeared to bite down on a towel. He went to the locker room and briefly emerged before the first period ended, but he didn’t take a shift the rest of the night.
A half hour before Wednesday’s practice, the 32-year-old, wearing a track suit, was spotted on the ice at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. After a short skate to test his injury, he headed back to the locker room and took off his skates.
It is unclear if Hornqvist will be in the lineup Thursday when the Penguins play host to the Anaheim Ducks at PPG Paints Arena, the finale of a four-game homestand to open the season. Right now, only 11 other forwards are on the roster.
Sullivan and the Penguins dressed 11 forwards with seven defensemen Tuesday, a decision that ultimately backfired when Hornqvist got hurt early. The latest injuries could prompt the Penguins to do it again Thursday.
The coach said he told his players that all these injuries up front present a “great opportunity for people to step up and show what they can do.”
At Wednesday’s practice, the undermanned Penguins had to promote Dominik Kahun, a newcomer who has underwhelmed in his first month with the team, to the second line. Sam Lafferty, the local product who just got called up Monday and made his debut against the Jets, suddenly found himself on the third.
Andrew Agozzino is expected to make his Penguins debut Thursday. Johnson may also be in the lineup for the first time since his brief stint late last season.
Last season, Johnson played six NHL games with the Penguins, totaling two assists and posting a plus-2 rating. Johnson also appeared in 67 games for the AHL club last season, finishing fourth on the team with 43 points, 18 of them goals.
Matt Vensel: mvensel@post-gazette.com and Twitter @mattvensel.
First Published: October 9, 2019, 4:36 p.m.
Updated: October 9, 2019, 9:35 p.m.
