Penguins Growing List of Injuries is Concerning

The Pittsburgh Penguins have lost two players in two days to injury.

Feb 15, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins forward Erik Karlsson (65) skates against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center. / Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Penguins had impressive showings in their last two preseason contests, outscoring opponents 10-3 and grabbing two victories on back-to-back nights. Those wins, however, came at a cost as two players went down with injuries.

Penguins Center Blake Lizotte was struck in the head with a puck in their 5-2 win over the Ottawa Senators in the annual Kraft Hockeyville game. Lizotte was on the bench, which is in an unfamiliar area at the Sudbury Community Arena when he was hit.

“He’s being evaluated today,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “So I don’t have any more information on that one. But we’ll see what comes back from that today.”

Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic left five minutes into last night's contest with a lower-body injury. Nedeljkovic was slated to play the entire game but left the ice after intentionally knocking the net off its moorings. The netminder is being evaluated, and no timetable has been set for his return.

Potentially missing Lizotte or Nedeljkovic to begin the season is a blow, but not nearly as much as missing Erik Karlsson would be.

The star defenseman has yet to practice with the team as he rehabs an upper-body injury he suffered before the start of training camp. Karlsson has skated independently before several practices but has spent the past few days working off the ice.

"He (Karlsson) did not stake today," Sullivan said yesterday. "He's going through the process. Some of it is going to entail on the ice, some is going to be off the ice. We'll let you know when his status changes."

Karlsson's status remains day-to-day as it has been for the past two weeks. With the regular season one week away and a busy preseason schedule, three games in four days, there is a limited number of reps Karlsson will get with his Penguins teammates before the opener.

This injury is unlikely to derail Karlsson or the Penguins season, but it may lead to a slow start for the 34-year-old blueliner. Especially considering their hectic October schedule, featuring 12 games in 23 days.

The Penguins started slow the past two seasons, ranking eighth in the Metropolitan division on November 1st last year and seventh the year before. Considering they missed the playoffs by four points combined in those seasons, the Penguins cannot afford another slow start in 2024-25.

Many see the Penguins as a fringe playoff team this year, and starting the season with a handful of injuries could lead to an early disadvantage in the standings for a third straight year.

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