Already without key defensemen Kris Letang and Trevor Daley, the Pittsburgh Penguins have lost another big part of their blue line. The team announced today that Brian Dumoulin will miss 4-to-6 weeks after undergoing surgery for a broken jaw.
“Dumoulin was injured in the third period of Pittsburgh’s 5-2 win in New Jersey on Tuesday night when an errant shot hit his jaw,” the Penguins said in a release. The 25-year-old has been placed on long-term injured reserve.
Oh, and just to add to the uncertainty, Olli Maatta missed last night’s game with the flu. No word if he’ll be able to play tonight at home against Carolina.
Without Maatta, Penguins would have only 5 healthy defensemen. If there's no recall soon, it's a good indication Maatta will play tonight.
— Dave Molinari (@MolinariPGH) December 28, 2016
The good news? Letang and Daley are getting closer to making their returns. They each (along with forward Tom Kuhnhackl) took part in the morning skate yesterday in New Jersey, per the Tribune-Review.
“The fact that they’re on the ice and joining the team is a significant jump as far as their progress is concerned,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “There is a strong possibility that some will get into games here before our next break, but I think at this point, it’s going to be one of those day-to-day things. This is obviously a big step getting them into the first practice.”
The Pens host Carolina tonight, Montreal Saturday, and then get a week off before Tampa Bay visits Jan. 8.