Injured Penguins forward Teddy Blueger practices with full contact

Teddy Blueger appears to be on the verge of rejoining the Penguins’ lineup.

On Friday, Blueger participated in a practice session at Warrior Ice Arena in Boston. Coach Mike Sullivan said Blueger skated without any restrictions on contact.

He has missed the past nine games due to an undisclosed injury. Sullivan stopped short of suggesting Blueger would be available for Saturday’s afternoon road game against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden.

“He was involved in a full capacity (Friday),” Sullivan said via video conference. “He was full contact, which is really encouraging from our standpoint. That’s the final stage before the return to play. That would suggest that he’s getting a whole lot closer. He has not been cleared to play yet, but he was full contact (Friday).”

In 28 games this season, Blueger has 15 points (four goals, 11 assists). But his defensive acumen appears to be what the team values most.

“He’s got good awareness away from the puck. He has good recognition skills. He can take diagonals (passing sequences) away. His stick detail is really good on the penalty kill when we get into our coverages down low,” Sullivan said. “He’s a cerebral player, so he sees the ice pretty well on both sides of the puck. Teddy’s overall games has evolved, both offensively and defensively.

“He’s gotten some timely goals for us. But he’s always been a pretty sound defensive player, and I just think he’s getting better with the experience that he’s gained. And his work ethic, he really puts the work in to improve his overall game. He’s one of our hardest-working players, and I think he deserves so much credit for that.”

Jarry nears return

Injured goaltender Tristan Jarry also practiced in a full capacity, Sullivan said. He has missed one game — Thursday’ 4-1 road win against the Bruins — because of an undisclosed ailment.

Sullivan offered little in terms of substance on Jarry’s status but appeared to be optimistic that his convalescence has progressed quickly.

“We’ll make that decision (Saturday),” Sullivan said. “We’ll see how he responds (Friday). But certainly, the fact that he participated fully in the practice today, that’s encouraging.”

In 25 games this season, Jarry has a 15-8-2 record along with a 2.79 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.

Gaudreau works toward extended stay

Reserve forward Frederick Gaudreau’s strong play continued Thursday as he recorded a secondary assist and led all Penguins forwards in short-handed ice time at 2 minutes, 13 seconds.

In eight games this season, he has four points (one goal, three assists).

Currently centering the third line, Gaudreau could be demoted, scratched or assigned to the taxi squad or Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League upon the return of Blueger, to say nothing of injured second-line center Evgeni Malkin.

But the 27-year-old, who is signed to a one-year two-way contract that carries a salary cap hit of $700,000, feels he has offered enough evidence to suggest he is capable of being one of the Penguins’ top 12 forwards, even with a mostly healthy lineup.

“I believe I can be,” Gaudreau said. “(Management’s) decision is their decision. I for sure believe I can be one of those guys. I’ve played in tough situations before, pressure situations. I feel comfortable in those. I feel excited about those challenging situations. For sure, I feel like I can be one of those guys.”