Pittsburgh Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist was absent from Saturday’s practice in Cranberry for a dental procedure according to coach Mike Sullivan.
There was no indication from Sullivan if Hornqvist’s availability for Sunday’s game would be impacted by the procedure, but there was little to suggest the ailment was serious, especially since the practice session was limited to a half hour. Sullivan described the procedure as “getting a tooth fixed.”
In 34 games this season, Hornqvist has 20 points (11 goals, nine assists).
Notes:
• The Penguins did not rush lines or defensive pairings Saturday.
• With Hornqvist absent, forward Zach Aston-Reese worked with the top power-play unit. He was joined by forwards Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust and defenseman Kris Letang.
• The second power-play unit remained intact with forwards Alex Galchenyuk, Jared McCann and Dominik Simon as well as defensemen John Marino and Justin Schultz.
• Injured forwards Nick Bjugstad (core muscle) and Dominik Kahun (concussion) did not practice. Sullivan did not offer much insight as to whether they would join the team for its upcoming three-game road trip.
“We will make those decisons depending on what their needs are from a rehab standpoint,” Sullivan said.
