Patric Hornqvist's headed west ... and, presumably, back into the Penguins' lineup.
A source close to the Penguins' first-line right winger told DKPittsburghSports.com that he flew to Phoenix late Wednesday afternoon and that he hopes to play this weekend. The team is scheduled to practice Thursday, 4:15 p.m. Eastern time, at Gila River Arena. The following day, there's a game against the Coyotes. On Saturday night, the five-game trip concludes with a game in Las Vegas.
Hornqvist, out since being concussed Jan. 8, resumed skating on his own last Friday in Cranberry. It was the fifth reported concussion he's sustained in the past three seasons alone. The team's had no updates on his status, other than that he was skating on his own, but being allowed to fly tends to come with being cleared of concussion symptoms. Also, it's immensely unlikely the team would fly him out that far if there was no intention of at least trying to play him.
If he doesn't play either game this weekend, he'd have 20 consecutive days to recover. After this trip, the NHL's All-Star break spans a full week, and the Penguins' first game out of the break is Jan. 28 against the Devils at PPG Paints Arena.