Another Tanev injury a setback for 3rd line
Just when it appeared Penguins coach Mike Sullivan was going to get his third line healthy and playing together, another injury again will force him to juggle his lineup as the regular season draws to a close.
Sullivan said Monday that Brandon Tanev will be week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Tanev missed six consecutive games with an upper-body injury last month before returning for the first of two games in Boston last week. Sullivan said Monday that Tanev was injured again in a 7-5 loss Saturday to the Bruins, but it was not clear if he aggravated the previous injury or suffered a new one.
The news on Tanev came on the same day Teddy Blueger participated fully in another practice as he works his way back from an upperbody injury. Blueger was placed on injured reserve March 15 and has missed the past 10 games.
Blueger said he is feeling much better and worked in with the fourth line Monday at practice. The Penguins play the Rangers Tuesday
night in New York. Sullivan said he has not yet been cleared by the medical staff.
“I think it’s been pretty steady progress, heading in the right direction,” Blueger said. “It feels great to be back out there with the guys. Fortunately, I’ve been able to get more ice time [with the taxi squad]. I do feel pretty good out there.”
Blueger worked out Monday for two hours. He was with the taxi squad for about a half-hour Monday before practice. He stayed on the ice for another 20 minutes after the regular practice ended.
While Blueger appears ready to return soon, the Tanev injury is the latest in a long line of injuries to hit in the past few weeks.
EvgeniMalkin and Kasperi Kapanen have not skated since they were injured last month. Malkin has missed the past nine games with a lowerbody injury, and Kapanen has missed the past five games. Sullivan said they are continuing their off-ice rehab.
Yet the Penguins continue to march on and find ways to win without key players from the team’s nucleus. Jared McCann has been centering the second line between Jason Zucker and Evan Rodrigues. The third line at practice Monday had Frederick Gaudreau centering between Zach Aston-Reese and Sam Lafferty, a player Sullivan has said brings some of the same grit that Tanev provides.
Mark Jankoswki centered the fourth line Monday alongside Colton Sceviour and Radim Zohorna.
When Blueger does return, it’s going to provide some competition for playing time among the bottom-six forwards, something Sullivan and his staff have managed well the past few weeks.
Gaudreau has provided a spark with a goal and two assists in the past four games. Jankowski has struggled to find his niche this season, but he might have had his best game to date on Saturday when he scored a goal and added an assist in the loss to the Bruins.
Gaudreau, Jankowski and others will continue to get opportunities with the three prominent forward out of the lineup.
“The guys have been great,” Blueger said. ”When I get back, obviously, after missing some time, it’s probably tough to get into a rhythm right away. But you try to do that as soon as possible. I’ll just try to help in any way I can.”
The Penguins have won five of their past six to get in contention for the top spot in the East division. They are in third place with 50 points, two points behind the Islanders and four points behind the Capitals. All three teams have 18 regular season games remaining. The playoffs begin the second week in May.
“All the injuries are coming at the same position,” Blueger said. “It’s definitely tough and unfortunate. These things are out of our control. We just have to have the nextman-up mentality. The guys have been stepping in and playing really well. We just have to keep battling and try to get as many of these guys back as possible.”