Marcus Pettersson left the Penguins' 3-2 overtime loss to the Senators on Saturday with 3:49 left in the first period after awkwardly crashing into the boards after a hit from Drake Batherson. He hobbled to the locker room and didn't return.
Mike Sullivan didn't have an update on Pettersson after the game, saying that he was still being evaluated for a lower-body injury.
If Pettersson is to miss any time -- and he really did look to be in bad shape -- then Ryan Shea would presumably get back into the lineup on the left side. But if the Penguins are to recall a defenseman, Filip Kral and Mac Hollowell are presumably at the top of the list, with Kral potentially having an edge because he's left-handed and Hollowell is right-handed. Jack St. Ivany and Sebastian Aho are both injured.
Hollowell, 26, is tied for fourth in team scoring on Wilkes-Barre with 15 points -- all assists -- in 20 games. Kral, 25, ranks seventh with 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in 15 games, having missed some time of his own due to injury.
For anyone wondering -- Harrison Brunicke isn't an option. For one, he's dealing with a wrist fracture. But even aside from that, teams can't dip into their junior prospect pool for recalls in-season unless they're on their third emergency recall situation. This isn't even an emergency recall, given that Shea is on the roster to give them six healthy defensemen otherwise.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
THE ASYLUM
Taylor Haase
3:27 am - 12.15.2024OttawaPettersson exits with leg injury
Marcus Pettersson left the Penguins' 3-2 overtime loss to the Senators on Saturday with 3:49 left in the first period after awkwardly crashing into the boards after a hit from Drake Batherson. He hobbled to the locker room and didn't return.
Mike Sullivan didn't have an update on Pettersson after the game, saying that he was still being evaluated for a lower-body injury.
If Pettersson is to miss any time -- and he really did look to be in bad shape -- then Ryan Shea would presumably get back into the lineup on the left side. But if the Penguins are to recall a defenseman, Filip Kral and Mac Hollowell are presumably at the top of the list, with Kral potentially having an edge because he's left-handed and Hollowell is right-handed. Jack St. Ivany and Sebastian Aho are both injured.
Hollowell, 26, is tied for fourth in team scoring on Wilkes-Barre with 15 points -- all assists -- in 20 games. Kral, 25, ranks seventh with 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in 15 games, having missed some time of his own due to injury.
For anyone wondering -- Harrison Brunicke isn't an option. For one, he's dealing with a wrist fracture. But even aside from that, teams can't dip into their junior prospect pool for recalls in-season unless they're on their third emergency recall situation. This isn't even an emergency recall, given that Shea is on the roster to give them six healthy defensemen otherwise.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
We’d love to have you!