Kunitz Out 2 Weeks with Lower-Body Injury
Saturday, 11.14.2009 / 11:40 AM
/ Features
By Sam Kasan
The Penguins injury situation has officially become ridiculous. Forward Chris Kunitz will be sidelined for the next two weeks to rest a lower-body injury, the team announced after it's Saturday morning skate.
"Chris has been dealing with a lower-body injury for a while now," head coach Dan Bylsma said. "At this point in time we're going to take two weeks off for a rest period to try and get him healthy, get him back to focusing on playing the game and not worrying about how healthy he is when he gets out there.
"It's not something that has happened in the last two days. He's been dealing with this for a while and now he'll have a rest period for a bit."
With Kunitz going down, the Penguins have lost a player in each of their past four games, starting Nov. 5 at Los Angeles (Tyler Kennedy, undisclosed), Nov. 7 at San Jose (Kris Letang, shoulder contusion) and Tuesday at Boston (Brooks Orpik, lower body).
Kennedy, Letang, Orpik and Kunitz are merely the latest Penguins players to go down with an injury. Pittsburgh has also played the past few weeks without reigning regular-season and postseason MVP 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 seven regulars out of the lineup, Pittsburgh is missing over one-third of its roster, and with Gonchar, Letang and Orpik going down, the Penguins are missing half of their defensive unit.
On one bright note, Malkin will return to the Penguins' lineup Saturday night against Boston.
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, expected to return Saturday
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
Chris Kunitz, lower-body (Nov. 13), 2-3 weeks, no ice participation
"Chris has been dealing with a lower-body injury for a while now," head coach Dan Bylsma said. "At this point in time we're going to take two weeks off for a rest period to try and get him healthy, get him back to focusing on playing the game and not worrying about how healthy he is when he gets out there.
"It's not something that has happened in the last two days. He's been dealing with this for a while and now he'll have a rest period for a bit."
With Kunitz going down, the Penguins have lost a player in each of their past four games, starting Nov. 5 at Los Angeles (Tyler Kennedy, undisclosed), Nov. 7 at San Jose (Kris Letang, shoulder contusion) and Tuesday at Boston (Brooks Orpik, lower body).
Kennedy, Letang, Orpik and Kunitz are merely the latest Penguins players to go down with an injury. Pittsburgh has also played the past few weeks without reigning regular-season and postseason MVP 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 seven regulars out of the lineup, Pittsburgh is missing over one-third of its roster, and with Gonchar, Letang and Orpik going down, the Penguins are missing half of their defensive unit.
On one bright note, Malkin will return to the Penguins' lineup Saturday night against Boston.
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, expected to return Saturday
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
Chris Kunitz, lower-body (Nov. 13), 2-3 weeks, no ice participation
