PITTSBURGH – After taking a shot to the knee against the Dallas Stars, Jason Zucker was expected be out of the lineup for the Pittsburgh Penguins on a week-to-week basis.
After just one week, Zucker was back on the ice with his Penguins teammates or a practice.
Zucker was on the ice taking reps with assistant coach Ty Hennes in a full contact jersey before the official start of the practice.
During full-team drills, Zucker stayed on the ice with the team and rotated into Josh Archibald’s spot on the fourth line.
Archibald was absent from the practice and looked to end the game against the Carolina Hurricanes in some pain.
Danton Heinen, who penciled in Zucker’s spot on the second line, remained there for the duration of practice.
Zucker did not participate during power play drills;
Before suffering his lower-body injury, Zucker was having a resurgence of a season, scoring 20 points (6G-14A) in 27 games played.
This current injury has forced Zucker has missed two games.
Defenseman Jeff Petry was placed on long term injured reserve the day before an update was given on Zucker.
Petry’s move opened up the space for the Penguins to recall O’Connor and defenseman Mark Friedman.
Both are yet to play in their recent stints, but O’Connor has played three games already this season and could fill back into the lineup if the coaching staff sees fit during Zucker’s absence.
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