Penguins’ Rutger McGroarty, Tommy Novak among players ruled out for remainder of 2024-25

A few members of the Pittsburgh Penguins are deemed out for the rest of the regular season.

On Thursday, head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed that forwards Tommy Novak, Rutger McGroarty, Matt Nieto, Noel Acciari and Blake Lizotte have been shut down for the rest of the 2024-25 campaign.

McGroarty suffered a lower-body injury in the Penguins’ 5-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, forcing him to leave the game early.

The 21-year-old came into his rookie season with expectations after being acquired via trade from the Winnipeg Jets. However, a bumpy start led to him being sent down to the Penguins’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. In eight games with Pittsburgh, McGroarty has scored a goal and three points.

McGroarty’s status for the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs is uncertain as a result, as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is on a path to the postseason, sitting fourth in the AHL’s Atlantic Division. McGroarty had scored 39 points in 60 games with Pittsburgh’s top farm club.

Novak hasn’t played after suffering a lower-body injury in early March. He’s been listed as day-to-day but hasn’t seen game action since March 9. In 54 appearances this year, the St. Paul native has posted 13 goals and nine assists for 22 points.

It hasn’t been disclosed why Acciari has been knocked out of the lineup. The 33-year-old has played all 79 games thus far for the Penguins, scoring five goals and seven assists for 12 points.

Lizotte had reportedly been bothered by a lower-body injury, which led to his absence against the Blackhawks on Tuesday. The 27-year-old had been in and out of the lineup this season, scoring 11 goals and nine assists for 20 points in 59 games.

Nieto has gone up and down between Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season, having been called up to the NHL on an emergency basis on Tuesday. It wasn’t revealed if the 32-year-old was hurt in the victory, as Nieto registered 12:55 of ice time across 18 shifts. In 32 games with the big Pens, he’s notched a goal and three points.

The Penguins (32-25-12) are seventh in the Metropolitan Division, three points out of last place in the Eastern Conference.