Injured Pittsburgh Penguins winger Pascal Dupuis skated before the team’s practice on Friday, less than 24 hours after he was struck in the neck by a puck in Thursday’s 3-2 loss to the Dallas Stars. He was removed from the game on a stretcher and did not return.
“He looked fine this morning; he did skate a little bit on his own,” head coach Mike Johnston said after practice, “He came into the room, got checked out by the medical staff, he’s been basically cleared by them. … All signs are real positive this morning.”
Dupuis could be available for Saturday night’s game against the New York Islanders. He will participate in the team’s game day skate, and a decision will be made at that point. If he would be unable to play, Andrew Ebbett would replace him in the lineup.
Blake Comeau skated in Dupuis’ place on the Penguins second line alongside Evgeni Malkin and Brandon Sutter at practice. Johnston said of Comeau’s performance so far, “he’s really playing that power forward role and we really need a power forward in our group.”
Dupuis’ absence would also affect the Penguins’ penalty kill, which has already been struggling. Zach Sill replaced Dupuis on the shorthanded unit during the game on Thursday.
If a forward would have to be recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for any reason, the travel situation could complicate matters. The AHL Penguins are playing in St. John’s, Newfoundland this weekend. St. John’s is the easternmost city in North America and, at over 3,000 miles, is the farthest road trip for WBS this season.
Dupuis had only recently returned from a knee injury. He was injured December 23, 2013 in a game against Ottawa, and missed the rest of the season after undergoing ACL surgery. He had scored a goal and three assists in his return to action during the season opener last Thursday against Anaheim.
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