CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- The Penguins welcomed Patric Horqnvist back to practicing Thursday -- they literally did that, actually, with Mike Sullivan gathering the group around No. 72 to a round of stick taps at the start -- and it rapidly progressed from his wearing a white non-contact sweater, then switching to a regular black sweater after about 20 minutes, then participating in all drills on Evgeni Malkin's line, then going right back to the net-front on the top power play.
Yeah, he's back home. Almost, anyway.
"We'll see how he responds to the practice," Sullivan answered afterward when asked if Hornqvist could return for the upcoming weekend trip to Carolina and Florida. "But certainly, all signs are looking positive at this point. We thought he looked good in the practice. He felt good in the practice. We'll take it day to day, but certainly we're excited with the progress that he's made."
Hornqvist, out of the lineup since Feb. 2 because of a lower-body injury, showed no lingering effects and didn't hold back.
That's him in the white sweater below:
His return to practice had an immediate impact on lines and pairings, as shown in drills with a couple notable switches: Dominik Simon was bumped up to the first line, Zach Aston-Reese and Conor Sheary down to the fourth:
Simon-Crosby-Rust
Hagelin-Malkin-Hornqvist
Guentzel-Sheahan-Kessel
Aston-Reese-Rowney-Reaves/Sheary
Dumoulin-Letang
Maatta-Schultz
Cole-Oleksiak
Hunwick-Ruhwedel
The only player missing from practice was Tom Kuhnhackl, out longer-term with a lower-body injury. He, too, is making progress. He resumed skating on his own Wednesday, then did so again Thursday. He'll accompany the team on the trip, and he's "probably" going to partake in the morning skate Friday in Raleigh, Sullivan said.