The Penguins’ good fortune with injuries through the first two months of the season has caught up with them.
Following Wednesday’s practice at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, coach Mike Sullivan said forward Jason Zucker is going to be out week to week with a lower-body injury he suffered in Pittsburgh’s 2-1 win against the Dallas Stars on Monday night. Zucker, who did not skate for Wednesday’s practice, will not travel for the Penguins’ upcoming road games against the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday and Sunday, respectively.
“We feel for Zuck because he’s played extremely well for us this year,” Sullivan said. “He’s finally put a string of games together where he’s been in the lineup for a number of games. It’s been a struggle since he’s been a Penguin just keeping him healthy, so we’re hopeful we’re not going to lose him for too long here.”
Since joining the Penguins in February 2020 following a trade with the Minnesota Wild, Zucker has missed 59 games, including 41 last season. He exited Monday night’s contest late in the second period but returned to action for the third period. Zucker, who is fourth on the team in points with 20 on six goals and 14 assists, had a pair of dimes in the Penguins’ latest victory.
During Wednesday’s practice, Danton Heinen joined Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust on the second line. Heinen was a healthy scratch in five of the Penguins’ last seven games.
“He’s a guy that we can plug into the top six, and we believe he’s capable of having success there because of his offensive instincts and scoring ability,” Sullivan said of Heinen.
In addition to Zucker, the Penguins will be without defenseman Jeff Petry, who was moved to the long-term injured reserve, retroactive to Dec. 11, with an upper-body injury. Petry will not be eligible to return until Jan. 8, when Pittsburgh faces the Arizona Coyotes.
Without Petry, the Penguins have turned to defenseman Chad Ruhwedel, who has grown quite familiar with being called upon in a pinch. A player who’s been in and out of Pittsburgh’s lineup over the years depending on the team’s injuries, Ruhwedel has drawn the admiration of fellow defensemen like Brian Dumoulin for his ability to step into whatever role Sullivan needs him for.
“That’s something that is a skill. A lot of people can’t do that. A lot of people need those reps, and they need those game reps,” Dumoulin said of Ruhwedel. “Obviously, he wants that, but it’s definitely a plus for us to have him on the team, knowing that he’s coming in our lineup and he’s just as dependable as if he was playing every game.”
Now, it appears Ruhwedel will be a regular for the foreseeable future. He’s already gotten his fair share of playing time this season with 12 games under his belt; when Kris Letang was out for five games after having a stroke, Ruhwedel stepped in and produced a plus-minus of three.
Without Petry for Monday’s win against the Stars, Ruhwedel was pressed into action and logged 15 minutes of ice time operating alongside Pierre-Olivier Joseph. The two formed a duo while Letang was sidelined, and Joseph is expected to continue being paired with Ruhwedel.
“I think he’s doing an unbelievable job,” Joseph said. “Breakouts are easy with him, and we communicate really well on the ice. I’m definitely gaining a lot of experience with him, also.”
Dumoulin similarly pointed to how Ruhwedel allows the other defenseman in a pairing to get started a little earlier on an offensive rush.
Albeit in less playing time than his teammates, Ruhwedel has been on the ice for the highest percentage (70.97%, per Natural Stat Trick) of high-danger scoring chances in the Penguins’ favor relative to such opportunities by the opposition. By no means does the statistic point to Ruhwedel being the best defender on the squad, but it certainly shows Ruhwedel hasn’t been a defensive liability when he’s on the ice.
Ruhwedel has stayed true to his identity of being a defense-first defenseman, which has helped the Penguins amid their current six-game win streak.
“When you get on little runs like this, it’s defense that allows you to be consistent,” Ruhwedel said. “That’s definitely been a point of emphasis, eliminating those high-quality scoring chances against and then using that defense to give ourselves some really good chances.”
The defense will need to continue its high level of play, considering Petry’s absence has quickly been coupled with Zucker’s. Ruhwedel believes he and the rest of the defensemen are up to that task.
“We have confidence that we’re going to do our jobs, forwards are going to do theirs and it’s going to lead to more time in the offensive zone,” Ruhwedel said. “We know if we take care of our end, it’ll lead to good things.”
Andrew Destin: adestin@post-gazette.com and Twitter @AndrewDestin1.
First Published: December 14, 2022, 8:44 p.m.
