Penguins defenseman Chad Ruhwedel was slammed into the boards by Kraken forward Eeli Tolvanen with about nine minutes remaining in the third period of Monday’s 3-0 victory over Seattle.

Tolvanen was assessed a boarding minor penalty, and Ruhwedel left the ice and did not to return.

On Wednesday, Ruhwedel participated fully in practice in Cranberry, skating on the Penguins’ third defensive pairing with P.O Joseph.

“All good,” Ruhwedel said as the team prepared to travel to Las Vegas for a Saturday meeting with the defending Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights. “Just precautionary, not a lot of time left in the game. … After I got checked out, (doctors) said it was all good. Feeling good. … I’ve had my share of hard hits and concussion-like stuff, so definitely thankful it didn’t result in something like that.”

Also on the injury front, defenseman John Ludvig skated individually ahead of Wednesday’s practice session. The rookie blueliner has been sidelined on long-term injured reserve since Jan. 3 with an undisclosed ailment. Per the Penguins, Ludvig is “tracking well.”

In 19 games with the Penguins, Ludvig has one assist while averaging 11 minutes, 34 seconds of ice time.

The earliest Ludvig could become available would be for the Penguins’ Jan. 27 home game vs. Montreal.

The status of forward Matt Nieto, on long-term injured reserve since Jan. 2, remains the same.

An update on forward Reilly Smith is anticipated next week. Smith, who scored eight goals with 12 assists in 40 games before getting injured mid-game against Vancouver on Jan. 11, is out longer-term with an upper-body injury.

Family first

AP Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan, center, stands behind his bench during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Seattle Kraken in Pittsburgh, Monday, Jan. 15, 2024.  

As the Penguins took the ice for practice, there was a notable absence.

The man missing was coach Mike Sullivan, whose daughter gave birth to a girl, Sullivan’s first grandchild, Tuesday night in Boston, Mass.

Sullivan was thus encouraged by the Penguins to fly home to Boston on Tuesday, an off-day for the club, to be with his family.

The extended Sullivan clan was described as being healthy and happy, per a Penguins spokesperson, as they welcomed Emerson Grace into the world.

Sullivan is scheduled to rejoin the team Thursday in Las Vegas.

In Sullivan’s absence, associate coach Todd Reirden ran practice.

Lines and pairings

The Penguins’ lines and defensive pairings were largely status quo from what they’ve put on the ice over the last several games, with the exception of Colin White, who took Radim Zohorna’s place at left wing on the club’s third line.

Zohorna was placed on waivers Tuesday but cleared after Wednesday’s 2 p.m. deadline, and was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

The Penguins recalled defenseman Ryan Shea from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He has appeared in 22 games with the Penguins this season and is yet to record a point.

The Penguins utilized the following lines and pairings:

59 Jake Guentzel - 87 Sidney Crosby - 67 Rickard Rakell

10 Drew O’Connor - 71 Evgeni Malkin - 17 Bryan Rust

36 White - 20 Lars Eller - 48 Valtteri Puustinen

43 Jansen Harkins - 55 Noel Acciari - 77 Jeff Carter

58 Kris Letang - 28 Marcus Pettersson

65 Erik Karlsson - 27 Ryan Graves

2 Ruhwedel - 73 Joseph

The Penguins’ first power-play unit consisted of Crosby, Malkin, Guentzel, Karlsson and Rust, with Carter, Rakell, Eller, Puustinen and Letang working the second unit.

Acciari, Graves, Ruhwedel and O’Connor worked on one penalty-kill squad, with Joseph, Pettersson, Harkins and White rounding out the second one.

Puustinen navigates cold streak

Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko makes a save on the Penguins’ Valtteri Puustinen in the third period Jan. 11, 2024, at PPG Paints Arena.  

When he joined the Penguins on an emergency loan from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Dec. 8, forward Valtteri Puustinen quickly made a splash in his first extended taste of NHL action.

Puustinen recorded an assist in his lone game with the Penguins on March 11, 2022 but went 18 months before returning to the NHL.

During that time, Puustinen emerged as one of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s top performers, scoring 24 goals with 35 assists during the 2022-23 AHL season.

The 24-year-old rookie responded to his latest call-up by contributing six goals over his first 10 games from Dec. 8-31, as well as scoring his first NHL goal against the Islanders on Dec. 27.

But over his last seven games, Puustinen has gone without a point.

While he’s enduring a bit of a production drought, the Kuopio, Finland, native’s confidence has risen with an increasing number of NHL games.

“When I came here, I (thought), can I play here? Good or no? But now my feeling is better because I know I can stay here and play here good,” Puustinen said.

Puustinen has bounced between the Penguins’ second and third lines. After beginning his stint alongside Evgeni Malkin, Puustinen has turned into a regular linemate of Lars Eller.

“I think he’s got good awareness of where to be on the ice, good defensive position. He’s very responsible to play with and predictable, which is good,” Eller said. “Offensively, his biggest weapon is his shot. He’s got a really good shot, so we’ve got to try to get him in positions or looks so he can use that a bit more. But overall, I think he’s had a pretty good start here.”

Injuries and changes in personnel have Eller and Puustinen searching for consistency as their line is repeatedly impacted.

“It’s been, let’s say, challenging, with a lot of change,” Eller said. “(O’Connor) was there, then he wasn’t. (Smith) was there for a few games, then he gets hurt. (Zohorna) I don’t know now. There’s been a lot of change. I don’t know how the line’s going to look next game.”

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