Pascal Dupuis Skates Morning After Leaving Game on Stretcher
Fans feared the worst when they saw Pascal Dupuis fall to the ice in pain mid-way through Thursday’s game against the Dallas Stars, and those worries weren’t quelled when Dupuis was taken off the ice on a stretcher after remaining down for quite a while.
After being cross-checked to the ice by former Penguin Alex Goligoski and then struck up high by a hard shot from the point while down, it was unclear to onlookers what exactly the nature of Dupuis’ injury was. It certainly didn’t look good though, and Dupuis seemed certain to miss some time once again, after sitting out the latter half of last season due to a torn ligament in his knee.
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That may not be the case this time around, as Dupuis took the ice before the Penguins’ practice this morning, skating on his own for 20 minutes. While he did not skate in full gear but rather a track suit and helmet, it is surely a good sign to see Dupuis back on the ice so soon after the scary incident.
The team has released no information yet, besides the fact that Dupuis reported feeling some numbness in his arm last night, which seems to be subsiding.
After a strong start that has seen Dupuis post 4 points and 12 shots (2nd-most on the team) through the first three games of the season, the Penguins are hoping Dupuis avoided serious injury and will be able to suit up again soon.
If the veteran forward does miss some time, the Pens will need to fill in his spot on the second line. Blake Comeau got the call to play up with Brandon Sutter and Evgeni Malkin for the rest of last night’s game, and seems the most likely to fill that role until Dupuis returns.
Should Comeau move up, the Penguins could choose to fill in his third-line spot with either a winger from one of their affiliate teams or perhaps forward Andrew Ebbett, who has remained on the roster as a healthy scratch thus far.
Pittsburgh suits up for their next game on Saturday, Oct. 18th against the New York Islanders.
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