Penguins’ Noel Acciari won’t play vs. Blue Jackets with upper-body injury

Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters on Tuesday that forward Noel Acciari is being evaluated for an upper-body injury and will not play Tuesday night vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets.

It’s unclear how Acciari sustained the injury, but it may have been in Sunday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers. He was minus-three with 15:09 of ice time.

This season, the 32-year-old scored three goals and two assists for five points in 45 games this season. Through nine NHL seasons, Acciari scored 62 goals and 43 assists for 105 points in 429 games with the Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, St. Louis Blues, Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins. He scored a career-high 20 goals and 27 points in 2019-20 with the Panthers.

Penguins President and General Manager Kyle Dubas signed the forward to a three-year, $6 million contract ahead of the 2023-24 season. His $2 million AAV is the highest annual salary Acciari has earned in his career.

Pittsburgh has had a difficult season, with their record being 27-24-8 record with 62 points, seventh in the Metropolitan Division. They’re 4-5-1 in their last 10 and have lost three straight games. As of March 5, they’re 10 points behind either of the Eastern Conference wild card.

After Tuesday’s game vs. the Blue Jackets, they host the Washington Capitals on Thursday then travel to Boston to face the Bruins on Saturday before flying home to host the Oilers on Sunday.