There’s no changing the fact that forward Bryan Rust and goalie Alex Nedeljkovic won’t be available to the Pittsburgh Penguins for the immediate future.
But Tuesday’s practice in Cranberry, the Penguins’ final mandatory team session ahead of Wednesday’s season-opening visit from the New York Rangers at PPG Paints Arena, offered modestly encouraging signs for both players, who will start the season on injured reserve.
Rust, nursing an unspecified lower-body ailment, partook in a non-contact capacity, “getting reacclimated with the group,” as coach Mike Sullivan put it, skating on a reserve fourth defensive pairing while cycling in later on the power play.
Nedeljkovic, whose lower-body injury is also undisclosed, took the ice for the first time since carrying an injury designation briefly before organized team activities began.
Rust remains day-to-day, with Nedeljkovic, who skated but did not practice, sidelined on a week-to-week basis.
Also joining the Penguins’ injured skate was forward Matt Nieto, who is on long-term injured reserve as he recovers from reconstructive MCL surgery.
Per Sullivan, the injury statuses of forwards Vasily Ponomarev (undisclosed upper-body injury) and Blake Lizotte (concussion) remain status quo.
The Penguins utilized the following lines, defensive pairings and power-play groups during Tuesday’s practice:
10 Drew O’Connor – 87 Sidney Crosby – 72 Anthony Beauvillier
8 Michael Bunting – 71 Evgeni Malkin – 67 Rickard Rakell
2 Rutger McGroarty – 20 Lars Eller – 18 Jesse Puljujarvi
13 Kevin Hayes – 19 Cody Glass – 55 Noel Acciari
24 Matt Grzelcyk – 58 Kris Letang
65 Erik Karlsson – 28 Marcus Pettersson
27 Ryan Graves – 3 Jack St. Ivany
5 Ryan Shea – 48/17 Valtteri Puustinen/Rust
First power-play unit: Crosby, Malkin, Rakell, Karlsson, Letang
Second power-play unit: Eller, Puljujarvi, Hayes, Bunting, Grzelcyk
