CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Forwards Nick Bjugstad, Bryan Rust, Jared McCann, and defenseman Zach Trotman all returned to Penguins practice as full participants on Monday.
It was the first time Bjugstad skated with the team since sustaining a lower-body injury on Oct. 5, the first time Rust skated with the team since injuring his hand while blocking a shot in the preseason finale, Trotman's first practice since undergoing sports hernia surgery, and McCann's return after missing the last game with an unspecified injury.
Those three forwards could potentially return to the lineup soon.
McCann isn't on any injured reserve list, so he is eligible to return at any time. Bjugstad is on regular injured reserve and has already sat out the minimum seven days, so he is now eligible to return at any time. Rust is on long-term injured reserve, which requires players to sit out a minimum of 10 games and 24 days. He's not eligible to return for the games on Tuesday and Wednesday, but will be eligible to play on Saturday in Dallas.
McCann wasn't available to speak on Monday, so not much more is known on his status. Rust said he will make the upcoming road trip, and is "hoping to be back by Saturday," reminding the inquiring reporter that he isn't permitted to play in the first two games of the trip. Bjugstad will make the trip as well, but isn't sure of his timeline and is just taking things "day-by-day."
Despite some key forwards lost to injury, the Penguins have been on a bit of a hot streak, thanks in part to the play of some of the call-ups from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Some of them have been thrust into a larger role than expected, like Sam Lafferty centering the second line, and have performed well.
"The silver lining is that it's provided opportunities for others to step up and play a more significant role," Sullivan said of the Penguins' injury bug. "I think the team has really rallied around one another through this process. We really like the way the team is playing right now, and the challenge is to continue to bring that necessary mindset and commitment to playing the game the right way."
So, how do the injured guys fit into that?
As far as line combinations, whether we see new lines or some combinations that were being used before the injuries occurred, the jury is still out.
"We'll evaluate that," Sullivan said. "We're having those discussions right now. I do think that the way this team has performed over the last couple of weeks will have an impact on those decisions."
In practice, we didn't get many clues about potential combinations, with Rust and Bjugstad rotating in different spots amidst the following combinations:
Jake Guentzel - Sidney Crosby - Dominik Simon
Dominik Kahun - Jared McCann - Patric Hornqvist
Zach Aston-Reese - Teddy Blueger - Brandon Tanev
Adam Johnson - Joseph Blandisi - Sam Lafferty
As far as the actual play on the ice, though? The replacements have certainly been performing well, and the team has just been playing smart and the "right way" during this recent stretch. Could adding those players back into the mix change that? Ideally, the returnees would approach the games with the same mindset.
"I think every team goes through that challenge when they get injured players back into the lineup, especially key players" Sullivan said. "That's part of human nature, I think. Our challenge as a group is to make sure we bring the same mindset that we have right now. The same commitment level, attention to detail, all of the things that these guys have bought into that has allowed us to have the success that we've had over the last couple of weeks. I think this team has provided itself a lot of evidence that if we all play a certain way, we're as competitive as any team in the league."
Rust and Bjugstad are happy with what they've seen from the team during their absence.
"I like it, it's definitely a big part of my game," Rust said of the Penguins' style lately. "I definitely think once I get back, hopefully I'll make that transition rather flawlessly. Hopefully."
"It's awesome," Bjugstad said, "Especially the first few games on the road trip, how many goals we were putting up. I think more importantly, everyone's been playing the right way, and with that comes confidence. You can tell, you get down a goal or two and you're watching, you know we're going to make a pushback. It's a good, deep team."
Yeah, there has been depth, for sure. Some of these young players are capable of sticking around. I asked Bjugstad if the way the team has been playing lately with those guys adds any pressure.
"You know, you always want to see your team do well no matter what, whether you're playing or not playing," he said. "I think it helps, just a competitive edge in practice. Guys are pushing each other to get better and better and I think that's good for everyone, younger and older guys. It usually starts with the leadership, and they've done a great job and the young guys feed off of that. It's a good hard-working team to be around, and that's the type of team you want to be with."
We'll have to wait until the road trip to see who gets pushed out of this lineup.
MORE FROM PRACTICE
• Brian Dumoulin did not skate and will be out for at least two games with a lower-body injury, according to Sullivan.
• Alex Galchenyuk and Evgeni Malkin skated before practice. They will not travel on the road trip.
• Sullivan compared morning skates to making a ham.
• With so many guys returning, Joseph Blandisi was bumped from a regular locker stall and moved to a temporary stall away from the main group of stalls. He'll probably be the first forward to go back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
• The Penguins kept Kris Letang and John Marino together after they saw time together last game, and kept the Marcus Pettersson - Justin Schultz pairing together. With Trotman back in the mix and Juuso Riikola back in the mix as a defenseman, Trotman, Riikola, Chad Ruhwedel, Jack Johnson, and Erik Gudbranson all rotated with one another in the final pairing.
