Rickard Rakell was skating swiftly and taking part in every drill his teammates did.
But don’t be fooled by the black jersey he wore that matched half of the other Pittsburgh Penguins on the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex ice Tuesday.
The practice between Games 4 and 5 of the Penguins’ first-round series against the New York Rangers was an optional one. And that meant to avoid jumping to conclusions about what the jersey color signified.
“No, he hasn’t been cleared for contact,” coach Mike Sullivan said after the session. “It was more of just an optional skate, (so) there wasn’t a whole lot of contact out there by the nature of the practice. Right now, his status is day to day.”
Rakell hasn’t played since absorbing a high hit from New York defenseman Ryan Lindgren during the first period of Game 1.
Defenseman Brian Dumoulin also did not practice Tuesday. He has not played since Game 1, either.
Before practice, goalie Tristan Jarry was on the ice taking shots from goalie coach Andy Chiodo. Jarry has not played since suffering a foot injury April 14.
Sullivan did not give any update on any injured player aside from Rakell.
Time announced
The NHL announced if there is a Game 6 of this series, it will face off at 7 p.m. Friday at PPG Paints Arena.
Every game this series has had the same start time.
The Penguins lead the series 3-1 and can close it out with a win Wednesday in Manhattan.
Still no Lindgren
Lindgren did not practice for the Rangers on Tuesday, according to reports from New York media.
Typically deployed on the Rangers’ top pairing, Lindgren has not played since Game 1 because of a lower-body injury.
