Penguins are close to fully healthy lineup for 1st time this season

There are far worse places to be marooned than Southern California in January.

Such as Western Pennsylvania in January.

Zach Aston-Reese experienced the former last week.

After testing positive for covid-19 on Dec. 11, Aston-Reese and fellow Pittsburgh Penguins forward Danton Heinen were placed into the NHL’s protocols for the virus and, as a result, had to be quarantined in their hotel rooms in Anaheim, Calif. for several days.

Not good. But not awful at the same time.

“I had my Nintendo Switch (video game system),” Aston-Reese said. “So I would just kind of play ‘Super Smash Bros.’ with my one friend. Watched the games, watched some shows. Watched that show ‘Euphoria’ to pass the time. It went by pretty quick. Got a little sunshine out there.

“It wasn’t too bad being in California for that.”

Aston-Reese and Heinen were back in Western Pennsylvania for Wednesday’s practice in Cranberry.

And so was backup goaltender Casey DeSmith, who also entered protocols Dec. 11.

And Evgeni Malkin.

And Sidney Crosby.

And Jake Guentzel.

And Chad Ruhwedel.

And so on and so on.

With the exception of rookie forward Drew O’Connor — on long-term injured reserve because of an undisclosed ailment that will keep him sidelined indefinitely — the Penguins had their entire roster of NHL regulars on the ice for the first time this season.

With the spectre of covid-19 as well as injuries typical of the rigors of professional hockey prompting a seemingly daily torsion of the lineup, the novelty of having a full complement of mostly healthy bodies was not overlooked by those bodies.

“It’s awesome to see,” goaltender Tristan Jarry said. “We haven’t had a full group yet this year. It’s just something that we’ve kind of struggled with, just guys going out being sick with covid and then guys getting injured. It’s great to see we have a full group, and it’s great to have all the guys out there and it’s great to see the potential that this group has.”

It remains to be seen what lineup the Penguins will dress for Thursday’s home game against the Ottawa Senators. During Wednesday’s practice, Aston-Reese and Heinen skated on a “fifth” line with rookie Radim Zohorna, currently designated to the taxi squad. And DeSmith rotated a bit with reserve goaltender Louis Domingue.

Mindful of their conditioning, coach Mike Sullivan was vague when asked if Aston-Reese, Heinen and DeSmith would be available for Thursday’s game.

“I guess, technically, you could say yes because they tested out (of the protocols),” Sullivan said. “But are they ready to play? That’s a different question.”

The answer appears to lie in the fact that reserve forwards Anthony Angello, Kasper Bjorkqvist and Filip Hallander were assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Tuesday.

For his part, Aston-Reese suggested he’s ready to go.

“I feel really good right now,” said Aston-Reese, who had a previous bout with the virus in September. “A lot different than the second time going for the double dip. No symptoms this time. I was able to work out in my hotel room and do my best to stay in shape. Skating today, I felt like I haven’t really missed too much. Haven’t lost too much, either. A lot different this time around.”

Having lost 128 man games this season because of medical maladies, one of the highest figures in the NHL according to NHL Injury Viz, the Penguins appear set to dress a lineup Thursday that will be different than any other they’ve dressed this season.

A nearly complete one.

That reality can be altered very quickly with a puck off a foot or a fever. But the anticipation of playing close to full strength is quite palpable.

“It’s definitely exciting,” Aston-Reese said. “All the pieces are in place. Now, it’s just a matter of everyone buying into their roles and accepting it. I think we’re pretty bought into that as a team. Everyone knows. It’s something that we talk about.

“We’ll see what we can put on the ice here this next stretch.”

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