Zach Aston-Reese probable, Dominik Simon likely out for Penguins vs. Oilers
Pittsburgh Penguins winger Zach Aston-Reese won’t be looking to pick any fights against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night.
Other than that, he’s ready to go.
Out since suffering a hand injury in a Jan. 8 fight, Aston-Reese is probable to make his return to the lineup against the Oilers.
“Maybe right now, just for the time being,” Aston-Reese said when asked if he’d shy away from fisticuffs. “You don’t want to reinjure it, especially coming back. I don’t know. Give it a couple weeks maybe.”
Aston-Reese, who had two goals and two assists in his last six games before the injury, skated on the fourth line with Matt Cullen and Garrett Wilson at morning skate.
“I’ve been doing a lot of skill work, but that’s not my game,” Aston-Reese said. “I’m excited. I’m back with Cully and Willy. I felt we had a lot of chemistry early on in the year and know how to play that grind game.”
Based on morning skate personnel groupings, Teddy Blueger is also set to return to the lineup after missing Monday’s game in Philadelphia as a healthy scratch. He skated on the left side of the third line with Jared McCann and Patric Hornqvist.
Dominik Simon, who has been held without a point in his past six games, will likely be a healthy scratch.
Coming off a 50-save performance in Philadelphia, Matt Murray is scheduled to start in goal.
Jonathan Bombulie is the TribLive assistant sports editor. A Greensburg native, he was a hockey reporter for two decades, covering the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for 17 seasons before joining the Trib in 2015 and covering the Penguins for four seasons, including Stanley Cup championships in 2016-17. He can be reached at jbombulie@triblive.com.
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