Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin sidelined
Another day. Another Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman injured.
Brian Dumoulin, one of the Penguins’ top players, will be sidelined on a week-to-week basis because of an undisclosed injury, according to coach Mike Sullivan.
During Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime road loss to the Boston Bruins, Dumoulin fell to the ice awkwardly while defending a Bruins power-play opportunity in the late stages of the second period. He did not return to the game by the start of the third period.
Typically teamed with Kris Letang on the team’s top defensive pairing, Dumoulin has averaged 22 minutes, 21 seconds of ice time this season. In seven games, he has one assist.
In addition to Dumoulin, the Penguins are missing defensemen Mike Matheson, Marcus Pettersson, Juuso Riikola and Zach Trotman because of various injuries. Matheson, Riikola and Trotman are on injured reserve.
Barring anything unforeseen, reserve defenseman Kevin Czuczman could be recalled from the taxi squad and inserted into the lineup. A veteran journeyman, Czuczman has not played any NHL games since 2013-14, when he appeared in 13 games for the New York Islanders.
An alternate captain with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last season, Czuczman, 30, appeared in 38 American Hockey League Games in 2019-20 and scored 10 points (two goals, eight assists). He has been a member of the Penguins for parts of four seasons.
Defenseman Yannick Weber, whom the team signed Wednesday, cleared waivers and was allowed to the join the Penguins on Thursday. He will not be available for Thursday’s road game against the Bruins, however.
According to Sullivan, Weber’s travel to Boston was disrupted by a snowstorm. He will be able to join the team when it travels to New York for a two-game series starting Saturday.
Despite so many injuries and absences, Sullivan is imploring his team to stay the course.
“The message to the players is just like any other experience that we’ve gone through from an injury standpoint,” Sullivan said via video conference. “When somebody goes down, we need to make sure that we pick each other up and play a diligent game. It’s going to provide an opportunity for others to step up and play a significant role. It’s a great opportunity for guys to take advantage of it.
“We’ll have a next-man up approach like we always have. Obviously, our depth is being tested, specifically on the blue line right now, but we know we’ve got capable people. And our expectation is that we’re going to win.”
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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