Pittsburgh Penguins forward Brandon Tanev missed his second consecutive game Sunday as a result of an undisclosed injury.

Initially injured during a 3-2 road loss to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., Tanev, arguably the team’s most energetic player, has missed only three games since joining the Penguins as an unrestricted free agent signing in 2019.

Coach Mike Sullivan labeled Tanev’s status as “day-to-day.”

Tanev was scratched after taking part in warmups prior to Saturday’s 3-1 road win against the Devils. After being labeled as a “game-time” decision Sunday morning, he did not even participate in warmups before the Penguins lost to the Devils, 2-1, in overtime at PPG Paints Arena.

In 30 games this season, Tanev has 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) and leads all Penguins forwards in average short-handed ice time per game at 2:30.

The only members of the Penguins who have yet to miss a game this season are forwards Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust.

Zucker takes ‘big step’

Forward Jason Zucker skated with members of the team’s taxi squad Sunday morning at PPG Paints Arena. He has been skating for several days as he recovers from a suspected left leg injury he suffered Feb. 23.

During a 3-2 overtime road win against the Washington Capitals, Zucker tripped while defending a shot and crashed awkwardly into the boards in front of the visiting bench with much of his weight pressing his left leg into the boards. He required assistance in leaving the ice.

At the time, it appeared Zucker, who could be heard screaming in reaction to the injury, would be sidelined for an extended period of time, at least much more than the handful of weeks it has taken for him to resume skating.

Sullivan declined to offer any specifics as to a time frame on his recovery, but he certainly is enthused over the rate at which Zucker is recuperating.

“I’m not sure if he’s ahead of schedule (or) he’s not ahead of schedule,” Sullivan said via video conference. “What I will say is that we’re encouraged by his progress. He has skated a few days in a row now. Today, he skated with the taxi squad guys using full equipment. So that’s another big step for him. We’ll just continue to try to monitor him and hopefully, he can continue to progress at the rate that he’s going. We’re certainly encouraged by the progress that he has made to this point.”

Zucker, who primarily has played on the left wing of the second line and on the second power-play unit this season, has seven points (four goals, three assists) in 17 games. He currently is on long-term injured reserve.

Recchi returns

Sunday’s game was the first in Pittsburgh for Devils assistant coach Mark Recchi since he was removed from that same position by the Penguins in August.

After the Penguins were defeated by the underdog Montreal Canadiens in the qualifying round of the playoffs, Recchi, as well as fellow assistant coaches Sergei Gonchar and Jacques Martin, did not have their contracts renewed Aug. 12.

Recchi, an All-Star forward with the Penguins in the 1990s and 2000s, was not out of work that long as the Devils hired him Sept. 8.

As an ex-player who lasted more than two decades in the NHL and helped the Penguins win Stanley Cup titles in playing and coaching capacities, Recchi had immediate appeal to Devils head coach Lindy Ruff.

“Mark has been real good,” Ruff said. “He’s a great example for a lot of young players. He’s helped (young forwards Janne) Kuokkanen, (Yegor) Sharangovich, Jack (Hughes). Here’s a guy, a hall of famer, that played (22) years and in every situation. He knows how to extend his career when he was getting late in it. He’s played in all different types of roles. All those experiences have been tremendous for all of our young guys. Even coming from (Pittsburgh as a coach) and sharing his thoughts on how the success (with the Penguins) could carry into our team and how they got there in Pittsburgh was invaluable for me.”

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