The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without one of their top forwards for a while.
The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without one of their best forwards for the next six to eight weeks.
Rickard Rakell blocked a shot with his hand on Saturday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets and immediately left the ice to go down the tunnel. He never returned to the game and won't return to the Penguins' lineup for a while after undergoing surgery on his left hand on Sunday.
It's a big loss for the Penguins since Rakell was off to a good start, compiling three goals and eight points in nine games. He's been on the top line with Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust to start the year and is coming off a 35-goal and 70-point season last year.
It's also really unfortunate because the Penguins are set to play two games in Sweden against the Nashville Predators on November 14 and 16. Rakell is from Sweden and has been really looking forward to playing in his home country in front of friends and family, but won't be able to now because of this injury.
Rakell will be replaced by top prospect Ville Koivunen after he was called up from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Sunday. Koivunen has been lighting it up in WBS, compiling four goals and 11 points in six games.
The Penguins will try to bounce back from Saturday's loss to the Blue Jackets on Monday against the St. Louis Blues.
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