Little has gone right for Pittsburgh Penguins forward Nick Bjugstad in 2019-20.

Almost from the start, his season was derailed.

In the second game of the campaign, a 7-2 home win against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Bjugstad forced Blue Jackets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois into a neutral-zone turnover with a determined backcheck and felt a twinge.

He missed the next nine games with a core muscle injury and returned to the lineup Oct. 26 only partially healed.

Battling through the ailment over the next eight games in unremarkable fashion, Bjugstad left the lineup once again after crashing into the boards awkwardly during a 2-1 road loss to the New Jersey Devils on Nov. 15.

A handful of days later, he underwent surgery and largely has been living in exile, so to speak, while his teammates traveled, played and went on with their business without his company.

That could change Thursday when the Penguins face the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center.

Barring setbacks, Bjugstad appears to be a safe bet to return to the lineup. During Wednesday’s practice in Cranberry, Bjugstad centered a third line with Jared McCann at left wing and Patric Hornqvist manning the right wing.

Stopping short of outright saying he definitely will play Thursday, Bjugstad spoke like a man pretty sure he’ll appear his first NHL game in more than three months.

“It’s been the most lengthy injury of my career,” said Bjugstad, who has been limited to 10 games and one goal this season. “I don’t know what to expect. I do know coming back from injuries, you can’t try to do too much. You’ve got to try to get in the rhythm. Just play simple for me. Try to use my body a little bit and see where it goes from there. But try not to overdo things. That’s the biggest part.

“It started at the beginning of the year. It’s been the same area that’s been bugging me. It definitely needed to be addressed. The strength staff and the medical staff, we’ve really tried to make it better. Down the stretch here, this is the fun hockey. When you’re fighting for spots and competing with conference (foes), it’s really fun. I’ll definitely have to be moving here because it doesn’t slow down at the end of the season. The pace only gets faster.”

Even Bjugstad’s recovery got sidetracked at times. After skating prior to some practices in mid-January, he was not seen on the ice for several weeks until late February.

“There were a few times where I thought I was close,” Bjugstad said. “Then there were a few tweaks here or there that happened that set me back. That’s probably the toughest when you think you’re getting there, and you regress a little bit. That’s probably been the toughest.”

Bjugstad said he was wary of potentially aggravating the injury in his first few instances back on the ice but feels confident he is past that hesitation.

“I’d see guys … when they get the core muscle surgery, I thought it was literally in the core,” Bjugstad said. “But it involves the groin, as well. That’s the most touchy area. After having these first few practices, that’s the biggest reassurance being able to do that. That’s why I got a few practices under my belt to feel comfortable. It’s pretty game-like scenarios out there. I won’t think too much about it (Thursday). These last few practices, I’ve been thinking a little bit about it but not too much. I’ve been skating a lot. There’s been plenty of times to try, so I won’t be thinking about it in the game.”

A potential line with McCann and Hornqvist would represent a reunion for Bjugstad. Coaches grouped that trio during the preseason but rarely got to utilize it during the regular season because of injuries to all three players.

“Jared’s a great player,” said Bjugstad, who scored nine goals in 32 games with the Penguins during 2018-19 following a trade from the Florida Panthers. “He can play wing and center. So that’s beneficial for both him and I. If it’s me, him and Hornqvist tomorrow, we all know how we play. We’ll just see how that pans out. Jared, I know what he does. He’s a skilled player. It’s not an unknown for me tomorrow if I do play.”

Notes:

• Forwards Anthony Angello, Brandon Tanev and defenseman Jack Johnson were absent from practice.

• Angello suffered an undisclosed injury during the third period of Tuesday’s 7-3 home win against the Ottawa Senators. Sullivan labeled his recovery as “week-to-week.” In eight games this season, Angello has one goal.

• Tanev is dealing with an illness which sidelined him for Tuesday’s game. He is expected to travel with the team for Thursday’s road game against the Buffalo Sabres. Sullivan said he is “feeling much better.”

• Johnson left Tuesday’s game during the second intermission to attend to the birth of a child. He is expected to travel with the team to Buffalo, as well.

• Forward Zach Aston-Reese, sidelined for the past eight games because of an undisclosed injury, skated before practice with skills coach Ty Hennes.

• The Penguins’ lines and pairs in practice were:

Jason Zucker – Sidney Crosby – Conor Sheary

Patrick Marleau – Evgeni Malkin – Bryan Rust

Jared McCann – Nick Bjugstad – Patric Hornqvist

Evan Rodrigues – Teddy Blueger – Sam Lafferty

Brian Dumoulin – Kris Letang

Marcus Pettersson – John Marino

Chad Ruhwedel – Justin Schultz

Defenseman Juuso Riikola worked with Ruhwedel, as well.

• The top power-play unit was switched up as Schultz and Rust joined Crosby, Malkin and Zucker.

• Hornqvist and Letang were moved to the second unit joining Marino, Marleau and McCann.

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