The Pittsburgh Penguins battle with the mumps took a turn for the worse on Wednesday when the team announced that goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and defensemen Robert Bortuzzo and Olli Maatta have been quarantined pending results of testing for virus.
The three players were not feeling well and as a result were separated from the team as a precaution. Those three players join forwards Beau Bennett and Sidney Crosby to make five Penguins players currently sidelined by the mumps. Testing for Fleury, Bortuzzo, Maatta should be available in a three-day period, general manager Jim Rutherford announced.
That timeline would put into question their availability for the Penguins’ Thursday night home game against the Florida Panthers. Maatta and Bortuzzo have been out with injuries regardless, so the only new player out of the lineup would be Fleury.
Jeff Zatkoff would be the most likely player to replace Fleury if necessary. The 27-year old netminder is 9-5-1 with a .918 save percentage and a 1.89 goals-against average in 15 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.
Sidney Crosby, the first Penguins player diagnosed with the mumps, is no longer considered to be contagious and is close to making his return. He skated on his own before the team’s practice and will be a game-time decision on Thursday.
“He looked good on the ice,” said Penguins head coach Mike Johnston said of Crosby. “I watched him for a little bit and he worked full out, so it was a full skate and he worked with [Penguins strength and conditioning coah] Mike Kadar afterwards.”
Injured winger Chris Kunitz also practiced with the team. He has missed the last seven games with a fractured foot. He has not yet been cleared for contact and will not play in Thursday’s game, but could return as soon as Saturday.
In addition to the team, Penguins staff members have also been inoculated against the virus that is sweeping the club. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported on Tuesday that a Penguins intern has the disease.
