Crosby missed the first six games of the season, but he practiced in a regular jersey on Monday and appears to be nearing a return. Being cleared for contact was the next step in Crosby’s recovery, so signs are pointing towards him potentially returning this week.
van Riemsdyk was set to face-off against his brother James tonight vs. the Maple Leafs, but he was spotted wearing a sling this morning after leaving last night’s game. Sporting a sling usually suggests a fairly serious injury and it will almost certainly keep him out of tonight’s contest.
Dumba has one goal on five shots and a minus-2 rating in three games this season but it looks like will be be replaced by Mike Reilly in the lineup on Thursday. Don’t expect the young defenseman to sit for very long.
Letang was injured late in Tuesday’s game in Montreal and he will miss tonight’s game vs. the Sharks. Letang is considered day-to-day, but no other details have been released about his injury.
Letang left Tuesday’s game with an upper-body injury and did not return. The Penguins did not give much of an update on Letang, other than to call him day-to-day. Letang has had a difficult time staying healthy throughout his career, so add this to a lengthy list. Monitor his status during Thursday’s morning skate.
Rakell missed the first game of the season because of a contract holdout, but the Ducks were able to sign him to a six-year deal this afternoon. Rakell is imperative to the Ducks success as their second/third line centre. He is coming off of a career-year, having scored 20 goals with 23 assists (43 points) in 72 games.
Crosby took part in parts of the Penguins’ practice on Wednesday, albeit in a non-contact sweater. Crosby will miss the first game of the year, but his availability this morning is encouraging and suggests that he won’t miss an extended period of time.
Rust has been skating on his own, but finally got back into practice on Wednesday. With Sidney Crosby likely out of the season opener with a concussion, the Penguins could use Rust back in the lineup, but that seems unlikely at this point. Consider him day-to-day.
It has been a while since we’ve seen Crosby and concussion in the same sentence, but on Friday, Crosby’s old demons returned as he suffered a concussion in practice. It is normal to not have a definitive timetable when someone has a concussion, but it’s even more difficult when someone has had multiple concussions before. The Penguins will take every precaution with their captain, which obviously clouds his availability for the season opener.
Rust, 24, had a nice playoff run last year picking up nine points (6G / 3A) in 23 games on Evgeni Malkin’s wing. With Rust unlikely available for the start of the season, that leaves the door open for Scott Wilson to start the year with Malkin.
Rakell missed the final seven games of the regular season after having his appendix removed. The third-year centre set career-highs in goals (20), assists (23), points (43), shots (169) and game-winners (7). He is expected to play between Jamie McGinn and Corey Perry tonight.
Malkin took part in the Penguins’ practice on Friday and it looks like he could return for Game 2. He centred a line with Conor Sheary and Bryan Rust on the wings, but due to the early start on Saturday, there will be no morning skate. Monitor his status a few hours before puck-drop.
Malkin has been out since March 11th and remains day-to-day. He reportedly skated prior to the Penguins practice, but did not take part in the practice session. All signs are pointing towards him missing the start of the series, but could be back later in the series or to start the second round.
Dumba was a minus-2 in Winnipeg on Sunday and has just two assists in his last 11 games. He will be replaced by Christian Folin tonight.
