Penguins’ Anthony Mantha out day-to-day with lower-body injury
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced on Wednesday that veteran winger Anthony Mantha will be sidelined on a day-to-day basis with a lower-body injury.
Forward Anthony Mantha is day-to-day with a lower-body injury and will not practice today.
Mantha was not on the ice for the Penguins’ practice late Wednesday morning, meaning the team will be without one of its key depth scorers for the time being as it continues to battle for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The 31-year-old winger from Quebec has been a crucial part of what has been a surprisingly strong season in Pittsburgh. In his first season with the club, he’s skated an average of 15:03 across his 71 games played while tallying 26 goals and dishing out 27 assists for a total of 53 points.
Mantha is tied with Bryan Rust for second on the team in goals, trailing only the 28 put home by captain Sidney Crosby.
The 2013 first-round pick by the Detroit Red Wings is set for a pay raise in the summer, as he is currently in Pittsburgh on a one-year, $2.5 million contract he signed as an unrestricted free agent last July.
The Penguins are reeling after a pair of blowout losses to top-tier contenders has put their playoff positioning on shakier ground. On Sunday, the Pens lost to the Carolina Hurricanes for the third time in the past month by a 5-1 margin, and then on Tuesday night, the Colorado Avalanche paid a visit to PPG Paints Arena and left with a 6-2 victory.
As things stand on Wednesday afternoon, Pittsburgh holds the third-place spot in the Metropolitan Division with 86 points and would play the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round if the season ended today.
The New York Islanders are only one point back of the Penguins for that spot, and with the two teams currently in the wild card spots at 86 and 85 points as well, there is no guarantee that the team that misses out on the third Metro slot earns one of the wild cards.