Injuries Mount; Orpik Out 2 Weeks With Lower-Body Injury
Thursday, 11.12.2009 / 11:30 AM
/ Features
By Sam Kasan
Another day, another injury. Or so it seems for the Penguins these days.
In the team's most recent health setback, it was announced Thursday that defenseman Brooks Orpik will be out of the lineup for the next two weeks with a lower-body injury.
"He's got a two-week injury, lower body," head coach Dan Bylsma said. "We were excited that he was doing better than we feared. He's doing well. We got some good news and he'll hopefully be around 14 days."
Orpik left Pittsburgh's game Tuesday night in Boston in the first period after falling awkwardly into the boards and did not return in the game.
With the Orpik out, the Penguins have now lost a player in each of their past three games, and four in the last two weeks.
Forward Tyler Kennedy left after team warm-ups prior to Pittsburgh's contest at Los Angeles Nov. 5 and has been out ever since. He is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.
Then Pittsburgh lost defenseman Kris Letang after he suffered a shoulder contusion Nov. 7 at San Jose. A mere three days later and now the team is without Orpik.
Kennedy, Letang and Orpik are merely the latest Penguins players to go down with an injury. Pittsburgh has also lost the services of reigning regular-season and postseason scoring champion Evgeni Malkin (shoulder strain), the team's No. 1 blueliner and leader Sergei Gonchar (broken left wrist) and energy forward Maxime Talbot (rotator cuff).
With six regulars out of the lineup, Pittsburgh is missing one-third of its 18 skaters, and with Gonchar, Letang and Orpik going down, the Penguins are missing half of their defensive unit.
PENGUINS MEDICAL WATCH
Player, Injury (Date), Time Frame, Current Progress
Maxime Talbot, torn labrum (July 7), 4 to 6 months, practicing (cleared for contact)
Sergei Gonchar, broken left wrist (Oct. 20), 4 to 6 weeks, practicing (no contact)
Evgeni Malkin, shoulder strain (Oct. 29), 2 weeks, practicing (cleared for contact)
Tyler Kennedy, undisclosed (Nov. 5), day-to-day, no ice participation
Kris Letang, shoulder contusion (Nov. 7), 2 weeks, no ice participation
Brooks Orpik, lower-body (Nov. 10), 2 weeks, no ice participation
In the team's most recent health setback, it was announced Thursday that defenseman Brooks Orpik will be out of the lineup for the next two weeks with a lower-body injury.
"He's got a two-week injury, lower body," head coach Dan Bylsma said. "We were excited that he was doing better than we feared. He's doing well. We got some good news and he'll hopefully be around 14 days."
Orpik left Pittsburgh's game Tuesday night in Boston in the first period after falling awkwardly into the boards and did not return in the game.
With the Orpik out, the Penguins have now lost a player in each of their past three games, and four in the last two weeks.
Forward Tyler Kennedy left after team warm-ups prior to Pittsburgh's contest at Los Angeles Nov. 5 and has been out ever since. He is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.
Then Pittsburgh lost defenseman Kris Letang after he suffered a shoulder contusion Nov. 7 at San Jose. A mere three days later and now the team is without Orpik.
Kennedy, Letang and Orpik are merely the latest Penguins players to go down with an injury. Pittsburgh has also lost the services of reigning regular-season and postseason scoring champion Evgeni Malkin (shoulder strain), the team's No. 1 blueliner and leader Sergei Gonchar (broken left wrist) and energy forward Maxime Talbot (rotator cuff).
With six regulars out of the lineup, Pittsburgh is missing one-third of its 18 skaters, and with Gonchar, Letang and Orpik going down, the Penguins are missing half of their defensive unit.
PENGUINS MEDICAL WATCH
Player, Injury (Date), Time Frame, Current Progress
Maxime Talbot, torn labrum (July 7), 4 to 6 months, practicing (cleared for contact)
Sergei Gonchar, broken left wrist (Oct. 20), 4 to 6 weeks, practicing (no contact)
Evgeni Malkin, shoulder strain (Oct. 29), 2 weeks, practicing (cleared for contact)
Tyler Kennedy, undisclosed (Nov. 5), day-to-day, no ice participation
Kris Letang, shoulder contusion (Nov. 7), 2 weeks, no ice participation
Brooks Orpik, lower-body (Nov. 10), 2 weeks, no ice participation
