For the first time since the second period of the second game, the Penguins were finally healthy on Saturday ... and it lasted not even three whole periods.
Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist will be out longer-term with a lower-body injury. The team placed him on injured reserve retroactive to Saturday.
The forward left the game against Edmonton late in the third period, appearing to favor his left leg, and did not play in overtime. Through 14 games, he has tallied 10 points (five goals, five assists). He had been playing the right wing in the Evgeni Malkin-Alex Galchenyuk tandem prior to the injury.
The absence created a ripple effect throughout the Penguins’ roster at practice on Sunday. Bryan Rust moved up to play right wing with the Malkin line. Dominik Kahun, who was a healthy scratch on Saturday, was inserted into the tandem featuring center Nick Bjugstad and wing Jared McCann.
In addition to Hornqvist, defenseman Brian Dumoulin was also absent from Penguins practice. He is expecting the birth of his first child. Lefty Juuso Riikola played in his place on the top pairing with Kris Letang.
The Penguins have faced tough injury luck early in the season. At one point, they were so injured with five forwards out that Riikola was forced to play wing. The natural option in the short term is to move Kahun from a healthy scratch to the lineup.
While the injury is unfortunate for Hornqvist, it does create an opportunity for Kahun. He had started the season slowly, scoring just two points in his first 11 games. However, he came on of late, recording four points in the last two games prior to his healthy scratch.
The Penguins now have 12 forwards and eight defensemen healthy. Should the Penguins choose to recall a forward from their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton, Sam Lafferty would be a good guess. Coach Mike Sullivan has praised him, saying “he belongs” in the NHL. He was the last player sent back down after the Penguins’ rash of injuries forced them to call up three players from the AHL.
Mike DeFabo: mdefabo@post-gazette.com or Twitter @MikeDeFabo.
First Published: November 3, 2019, 5:32 p.m.
