Pittsburgh Penguins lose Jason Zucker, Jeff Petry to long-term injuries

The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that forward Jason Zucker and Jeff Petry will be out for an extended period of time due to injuries.

Zucker, 30, is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury. The forward blocked a shot during the second period of Pittsburgh’s game against Dallas earlier this week. He finished the game, but only after leaving temporarily in pain. Zucker has 20 points in 27 games, registering two assists on Monday while playing on a line with Bryan Rust and Evgeni Malkin.

Zucker has struggled to remain healthy during his time in Pittsburgh, playing 38 and 41 games over the past two seasons, respectively. Still, he’s a key piece of Pittsburgh’s core, sitting fourth in team scoring, so his absence will be tough to swallow.

With Zucker out, Danton Heinen took his second left-wing spot at practice on Wednesday, according to Tribune-Review Sports reporter Seth Rorabaugh.

Petry, 35, appeared to have injured his arm after getting hit by Buffalo Sabres forward Alex Tuch along the boards on Saturday. Sullivan said he’ll be out “longer-term” after being placed on injured reserve. Acquired over the summer from Montreal, Petry has 12 points in 28 games with Pittsburgh, his third NHL team. He has 334 points in 831 games during his career with Edmonton, Montreal and Pittsburgh.

Petry had been averaging 22:20 in Pittsburgh’s top four, a step up from his 22:07 with the Habs last year.

The Penguins, otherwise, remain relatively clean on the injury front, with no other players currently missing time. AHLer Samuel Poulin is currently on a leave of absence with no timeline for a return.

Pittsburgh sits third in the Metropolitan with a 17-8-4 record. They’re in the midst of a six-game win streak and have an 8-1-1 record, making them one of the strongest teams in the Eastern Conference as of late.