Penguins' top-four defenseman making progress since being sent to IR on Dec. 16 with a lower-body injury
On Friday, the Pittsburgh Penguins held their first practice since their 7-3 win Monday against the Philadelphia Flyers.
And from it came some good news.
Marcus Pettersson - who has been out since Dec. 14 with a lower-body injury - skated with the team in a non-contact capacity. He worked on the extra defensive pairing with Nathan Clurman, who was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton again after Owen Pickering went on IR following the Penguins' loss against the New Jersey Devils.
Even though his status hasn't changed, Pettersson is making progress, and that is a good thing for the Penguins - especially since he was labeled "week-to-week.".
"It's really encouraging," head coach Mike Sullivan said after practice. "He was on the injured ice with [Ty Hennes] first this morning and felt really good. So, our medical team felt comfortable giving him the opportunity to participate in the team practice, which I think is a real important step in the return-to-play process."
Here is how the rest of the lineup shook out:
There are a few changes, as forward Drew O'Connor - who has gone 30 games without scoring a goal - will figure to get a chance to break the drought alongside Evgeni Malkin and surging Michael Bunting.
"We're hoping if we move him there, maybe that might give him a spark offensively," Sullivan said. "But he also needs to bring a defensive conscience to that line. That's an important element of that role."
Jesse Puljujarvi was rotating in during fourth-line reps for Noel Acciari, and the defensive pairings remained untouched from Monday's win. The Penguins were 9-3-1 in their last 13 games heading into the holiday break, and they're hoping some of the extra rest and the quick reset can help them even more in a tough stretch of games coming up.
"We're all excited to get back, but I think everyone's body is probably feeling a little bit better and not as drained," Philip Tomasino said. "It was a great time, but we've got a big test this weekend. Just going forward here, there's a lot of games, so I think having this break will hopefully be a big part of our success going forward here."
Sullivan echoed the same sentiment about those few days of rest being important for the group.
"To be able to go into the break with a win and having won a bunch of games leading up to it, it certainly gives everyone the opportunity to go into that break with the right frame of mind, and maybe, it gives you the opportunity to enjoy the break a little bit more than you otherwise would if the circumstances were different," Sullivan said.
He added: "To spend a couple of days with family and friends and get away from the game a little bit, and give everyone an opportunity to recharge and come in with a fresh mindset, having spent quality time with the people that you love is always something for me, that, it's hard to think that wouldn't be beneficial for anybody. We had a spirited practice today, we're excited to get back at it, but certainly I think those last couple of days will be helpful for the group."
