The Pittsburgh Penguins knew they’d be down a man on their upcoming two-game road trip to Florida and Carolina after defenseman Jeff Petry was placed on long-term injured reserve Tuesday.

But when the Penguins took the ice for practice Wednesday morning minus Jason Zucker, the team appeared at risk of being without a top-six forward against either or both Eastern Conference opponents.

Zucker briefly exited Monday’s win over Dallas after blocking a shot in the second period before returning in the third period.

On Tuesday, the Penguins recalled defenseman Mark Friedman and forward Drew O’Connor from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Friedman’s presence is clear-cut: to plug the hole created by Petry’s absence on the blue line. With Zucker’s status unknown, O’Connor’s purpose was more opaque.

Coach Mike Sullivan provided clarification on Zucker and a Petry update Wednesday, neither of which proved to be favorable for the Penguins.

Zucker, who has six goals and 14 assists in 27 games, is out week-to-week with an undisclosed lower-body injury. Petry, per Sullivan, will be out “longer-term.”

Neither player will travel on the upcoming road trip, but Sullivan said surgery won’t be required for Petry or Zucker.

“That is what it is,” Sullivan said. “… We’re hopeful that we’re not going to lose them too long here. We’ve got other guys that we’re going to put in the lineup. We believe we’ve got capable guys. We have enough to win. It’s going to provide opportunities for others to step up and play more significant roles. Our guys have to embrace that challenge.”

In Zucker’s place, Danton Heinen skated as Evgeni Malkin’s left wing on the Penguins second line, flanked by Bryan Rust.

Heinen, who scored three goals and had three assists over the Penguins’ first five games of the season, battled through an extended slump that saw him go pointless for 11 straight games into mid-November.

While teammate Kasperi Kapanen took a turn as a healthy scratch in November, that has been Heinen’s reality recently, as he has played in just two of the Penguins’ six games this month.

He was a healthy scratch for the Penguins’ 2-1 win Monday, but Heinen posted an assist Dec. 9 against Buffalo, the last game he played.

“You don’t want to be out. You want to be in there helping the guys,” Heinen said. “All I can do is keep working hard, keep a good mindset and be ready when called up. Sadly, I’ve been through this before, but you’ve just got to learn from your experiences, try to handle it and be better.”

How O’Connor will factor into the equation remains to be seen.

This is his second call-up of the season, as he spent three games with the Penguins early in November. At the time, he was skating primarily on the fourth line but centered the third line in Jeff Carter’s absence against Boston on Nov. 5.

Petry being sidelined comes right as the Penguins’ blue line appeared to be back to full health, given the speedy return of Kris Letang after his stroke at the end of November.

The 34-year-old Petry had averaged 22 minutes, 20 seconds of ice time, with three goals and nine assists through 28 games.

Friedman presumably will play his first NHL game of the season Thursday against the Panthers.

During practice Wednesday, Friedman skated with P.O Joseph and was subbing in and out of the Penguins’ second penalty-kill unit.

Recognizing his 5-foot-11, 185-pound frame will overpower few, Friedman nonetheless is excited to demonstrate his physicality when given the chance over the next few weeks.

“I know I’m not the biggest guy, but I know I can use my skills, my assets, my speed and being a little pest out there at times to get guys off their game but not hurting our team,” he said. “I’ve just got to find the fine line and be effective every time.”

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