Penguins forward Jason Zucker returns to injured reserve
Jason Zucker’s return to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ active roster lasted only a few days.
On Thursday afternoon, the team placed the veteran forward on injured reserve due to an undisclosed ailment. Following Thursday’s 6-4 home win against the Ottawa Senators, coach Mike Sullivan indicated Zucker would be sidelined on a “week-to-week” basis pending further evaluation
The nature of Zucker’s malady has never been specified but Sullivan revealed it is the same injury that landed Zucker on injured reserve in December and cost him the first seven games of January.
His brief return was productive. On Monday, he scored two goals and helped spark a 5-3 comeback road win against the Vegas Golden Knights while primarily playing on the second line.
Zucker participated in Wednesday’s practice at the team’s facility in Cranberry with no limitations evident to the naked eye.
This season, Zucker has played in 31 games and has 13 points (six goals, seven assists) while averaging 15 minutes, 34 seconds of ice time per contest.
Louis Domingue lands on IR too
Goaltender Louis Domingue also was placed on injured reserve. He was injured during an optional morning skate at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday when he appeared to be hobbled after being struck in the right foot by a puck.
Domingue was scheduled to serve as the backup to starter Tristan Jarry for Thursday’s game. Sullivan was not aware of a timeframe for his recovery.
Domingue has played in one NHL game this season and has a 1-0-0 record, a 0.99 goals-against average and a .976 save percentage. In 10 American Hockey League games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season, Domingue has a 3-4-2 record, a 2.69 goals-against average and a a .918 save percentage.
Three return from covid-19 protocols
Forwards Zach Aston-Reese, Danton Heinen and goaltender Casey DeSmith were formally returned to the active roster after spending time in the NHL’s protocols for covid-19.
With Zucker absent, Heinen was stationed on the left wing of the second line, and DeSmith served as Jarry’s backup. Aston-Reese participated in warm-ups but was scratched.
Defenseman Mark Friedman was also scratched.
Brian Boyle tries the left wing
Penguins forward Brian Boyle opened Thursday’s game on the left wing of the fourth line. It was the second consecutive contest he was deployed in that capacity.
While he is listed as a center — and primarily renown for his defensive play from that position — Boyle has some history on left wing.
On Monday, Boyle logged 12:16 of ice time on 19 shifts and recorded an assist. After Boyle was denied on a breakaway by Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner, linemate Teddy Blueger scored on the ensuing rebound.
“(Boyle is) very comfortable at the wing and center ice position,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “He’s played both positions throughout the course of his career. I thought he had a really strong game in Vegas. He played really well. That line played very well. He made a real nice play on Teddy Blueger’s goal. That’s just one example. But his overall game I thought was really strong in Vegas.
“Once again, it just speaks to the versatility of our roster and how important that is to be able to move guys around based on who’s healthy and who’s not and how we can put a competitive lineup on the ice each and every night. To have the ability to move these guys from center to wing or vice versa, I think, just gives us that much more flexibility to create the balance that we’re looking forward so that we’re hard to play against.”
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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