Pettersson, Riikola hurt vs. Capitals

Defensemen Marcus Pettersson and Juuso Riikola exited Tuesday’s game against the Washington Capitals with injuries.

Pettersson was slow to get up after he was clobbered in the neutral zone by T.J. Oshie late in the second period. Pettersson was looking the other way as he attempted a pass when Oshie launched himself into his left shoulder.

Head athletic Chris Stewart came out onto the ice to check Pettersson out. They then headed back to the dressing room. Pettersson did not return to the game.

Oshie, after a review, received a minor penalty for interference for the hit.

Riikola also remained in the dressing room at the start of the third period. It’s not known when Riikola suffered an injury. He was on the ice taking a regular shift when the buzzer blared at the end of the second period.

After the Penguins’ 5-4 win, coach Mike Sullivan said that both Pettersson and Riikola were still being evaluated for upper-body injuries. He provided no additional details.

The absences of those two left-handed defensemen forced the Penguins to play the rest of the game with only four able defensemen. Kris Letang, Brian Dumoulin, John Marino and Chad Ruhwedel should sleep soundly Tuesday night.

“I can’t even imagine how tired they were,” goalie Casey DeSmith said.

The Penguins as a team buckled down in the third period and overtime. They only let the high-powered Capitals put eight shots on goal the rest of the way.

Sidney Crosby got the game-winner, potting a rebound after a long shot from Letang. Letang was one of three blue-liners who logged more than 26 minutes.

“That’s not an easy task when you’re down to that few defensemen, in a hardfought game like tonight was,” Sullivan said. “Those guys did a terrific job.”

And now the Penguins await word on the health of Pettersson and Riikola.

If either defensemen were to miss upcoming games, that would put the Penguins in a bind just a week into the season. They are already down one left-handed defenseman in Mike Matheson, who is out “longer term” and on injured reserve with an upper-body injury suffered in Friday’s loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Penguins presently have two left-handers on their taxi squad in Kevin Czuczman and P.O. Joseph, the team’s top blue-line prospect. Czuczman hasn’t played an NHL game in seven years and the 21-yearold Joseph has yet to make his debut.

The Penguins have another right-hander in Cody Ceci, who has been scratched the past three games. Ruhwedel or Ceci could play on his weak side if needed. But that is far from ideal, especially with the team already struggling defensively.

Lafferty takes a seat

With Kasperi Kapanen’s debut, Sam Lafferty was transferred Monday to the taxi squad.

Lafferty, a Hollidaysburg, Pa., native, had a minus-2 rating in the first three games. He got an earful from the coaching staff Friday night in Philadelphia after a missed assignment. Then in the first period of Sunday’s win over Washington, he lost the puck while attempting to escape a scrum behind the net, leading to a goal against.

He had just seven shifts in Sunday’s win and had less than 10 minutes of ice time in his past two games.

Dating to last January, including his lone playoff appearance, Lafferty has just two goals and one assist to go along with a minus-4 rating in 23 games. But Sullivan stressed that the 25-year-old remains an “important” player going forward.

“He’s a good player. He can really skate. He brings good size. He brings a physical dimension to his game,” he said. “I had a conversation with Sam [on Monday] about this. When I look at his game, I think for Sam to be a [regular] NHL player in the lineup every night, he just has to bring more consistency to his game.”

Aston-Reese on track

Zach Aston-Reese, still on the mend from shoulder surgery, was among a handful of players who took the ice Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena for the team’s optional morning skate. He wore a red non-contact jersey.

After the forward had surgery in mid-August, the Penguins announced an expected six-month absence, which would sideline him into February. While a return to full-team practices does not appear to be imminent for Aston-Reese, Sullivan was encouraged by his presence at Tuesday’s morning skate.

“The fact that he’s on the ice I think suggests that he’s getting a whole lot closer,” he said.