Penguins defenseman Jan Rutta scratched due to undisclosed injury

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Jan Rutta was scratched from his team’s 4-3 overtime home win against the Anaheim Ducks at PPG Paints Arena on Monday due to an undisclosed injury.

Following the contest, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan labeled Rutta as “day to day.”

This marked the first game Rutta has missed this season. He appeared to be a safe bet to be in the lineup after participating in the team’s morning skate and even skated on the top defensive pairing with Marcus Pettersson.

Rutta’s absence, combined with those of Kris Letang (undisclosed injury and family matters) and Jeff Petry (suspected left arm injury) meant the Penguins played the game without the services of their top three right-handed defensemen (or, at least, their three most expensive starboarders on the blue line).

Letang has been sidelined since Dec. 30 due to a combination of an undisclosed injury and family matters following the death of his father, Claude Fouquet, on Dec. 31. He took a leave of absence on Jan. 2 and is currently designated as “non-roster.”

Petry has not played since suffering a suspected left arm injury on Dec. 10 and is currently designated to long-term injured reserve.

“Different guys stepping up,” said Pettersson, who returned to the lineup after missing two games due to an undisclosed illness. “It’s tough. Every team goes through injuries. A lot are coming right now. But guys are stepping up.”

Rutta has appeared in 42 games this season and has eight points (three goals, five assists) while averaging 17:51 of ice time per contest.

With Rutta scratched, left-hander Brian Dumoulin is the Penguins’ lone defenseman who has played in all 43 of the team’s games this season.

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