Mike Matheson made his return from his upper-body injury on Friday, playing in his first game since Feb. 24.
But just as the Penguins took one big step forward toward a fully-healthy roster, they took another big step back.
Brock McGinn left the Penguins' 5-2 win over the Golden Knights at PPG Paints Arena late in the second period and did not return for the third.
Mike Sullivan announced after the game that McGinn would be sidelined week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
In the video posted to the Penguins' social channels of the postgame "Bold Penguin" team helmet being passed off to the next recipient, McGinn could be seen in the background wearing a cast on his right wrist:
PENGUINS / TWITTER
Sullivan called McGinn a "tough guy to replace."
"He just does so many little things so well, he makes us hard to play against," Sullivan said. "He brings physicality to our lineup. He blocks shots. He's a good penalty-killer. He's just a good hockey player. He plays on both sides of the puck, he helps us generate on offense. I think he's a real stingy defensive player. He's just a good hockey player. It's going to be hard to replace him. He's a key guy for us."
The "next man up" mentality that the Penguins have had to have all season will endure.
"It's going to provide opportunities for others that are going to have the opportunity to step up and fill the void," Sullivan said of McGinn's injury. "We'll see where it goes. Guys are going be given opportunities and we need to take advantage of that."
