Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson rejoined his teammates for a practice session in Cranberry on Friday. While he participated in a non-contact fashion, it marked the first time he has formally practiced since he suffered an undisclosed injury during a 3-2 overtime road loss to the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 16.
Aside from wearing a white non-contact jersey, Pettersson displayed few limitations during the session and even worked extensively as a penalty killer during special teams drills. Officially, Pettersson remains sidelined on a “week-to-week” basis but his presence in practice was labeled as “progress” by coach Mike Sullivan. “It’s really encouraging,” Sullivan said.
“He (skated before practice with assistant coach Ty Hennes) first this morning. Felt really good. So, our medical team felt comfortable giving him the opportunity to participate in the team practice, which I think is a real important step in the return-to-play process.
Just getting around the team environment, being on the ice with multiple players on the ice, the spatial relationships, that’s the hardest part. Especially if you’re out for an extended period of time. To get him involved in the team practice today was a huge step for Marcus.
” Pettersson is currently designated to injured reserve. Primarily deployed on a defensive pairing with Erik Karlsson, Pettersson has played in 32 games this season and has scored 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) while logging 21:47 of ic.