Penguins forward Jason Zucker's recovery from latest injury labeled as 'encouraging'
Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan labeled forward Jason Zucker’s recovery from his latest injury as “encouraging” on Tuesday.
Zucker missed his second consecutive game on Tuesday after falling into the boards awkwardly during a 4-3 road win against the Wild on Thursday.
This malady comes just as Zucker had missed substantial time from December through March due to a core muscle ailment that required surgery in late January. In total, Zucker has missed 38 of the past 40 games due to injury.
Sullivan declined to specify if Zucker’s latest ailment is related to his core muscle injury.
“I’m not going to speak to the specifics of the injury,” Sullivan said. “What I will say is that our doctors are continuing to consult with one another. But having said that, his response over the last few days has been really encouraging. He was on the ice (Monday). He was on the ice again (Tuesday).
“We still don’t have definitive information from our medical staff. But certainly, we’re encouraged with what we’ve seen and (with Zucker’s) feedback himself since he went into the boards in Minnesota.”
Limited to 32 games this season, Zucker has scored 14 points (six goals, eight assists).
Angello, Heinen, Kapanen shake off illness
Penguins forwards Anthony Angello, Danton Heinen and Kasperi Kapanen were all in the lineup for Tuesday’s home game against the Colorado Avalanche at PPG Paints Arena.
The trio did not participate in Monday’s practice due to an illness.
With all three able-bodied, the team assigned forward prospect Filip Hallander to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL). Hallander was recalled on Monday under emergency conditions.
Appearing in 52 AHL games this season, Hallander has 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists).
Assessing Angello
Thursday’s contest was only the third game of the season at the NHL level for Angello.
In his first two contests, his impact was difficult to measure, at least in terms of ice time as he had logged an average of only 5:57 during those two games.
A fifth-round draft pick (No. 145 overall) in 2014, Angello’s deployment this season has been limited considerably compared to the 2020-21 campaign when he appeared in 19 games and clocked an average ice time total of 7:59 per game.
Sullivan was asked what Angello’s place is with the organization on Tuesday.
“Right now for us, he’s playing in a bottom-six role,” Sullivan said. “He’s an energy guy, he brings a physical dimension, he has good size and he skates really well. He’s good on the forecheck, he’s a guy that can help us build momentum.
“What has limited some of his ice time, I think, for him here at the NHL level is we haven’t had him on either one of the special teams. When you’re a bottom-six forward and you’re just a five-on-five guy, it’s not easy to find minutes for players like that. Obviously, the top-six guys, they’re going to command a certain amount of minutes, special teams being a part of it. … Because of the nature of how we utilize the bench – and Anthony hasn’t been participating in either one of the special teams – I think that’s why his minutes are where they’re at.
Sullivan professed he has been satisfied with the limited action Angello has enjoyed.
“His five-on-five minutes, he’s been effective for us,” Sullivan said. “He’s a momentum guy for us. He gets pucks deep, he plays within himself, he can really skate, he brings good size, he brings a physical dimension. He’s really good on the forecheck and he’s trustworthy defensively. We feel like we can put him on the ice against anyone and he can get the job done for us.”
Svejkovsky signs
The Penguins signed forward prospect Lukas Svejkovsky to a three-year entry-level contract.
Beginning in the 2022-23 season, the deal will carry a salary cap hit of $859,167 at the NHL level.
Svejkovsky, 20, was a fourth-round pick (No. 108 overall) in 2020.
This season, the right-handed Svejkovsky (5-foot-9, 170 pounds) has split time between the Medicine Hat Tigers and his current team, the Seattle Thunderbirds, each of the Western Hockey League (WHL). In 55 games this season, Svejkovsky has 73 points (32 goals, 41 assists) while recording 255 shots, eighth-most in the league.
The son of former Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jaroslav “Yogi” Svejkovsky, Lukas Svejkovsky was born in Tampa and has citizenship in the United States as well as Czechia.
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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