PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Penguins forward Pascal Dupuis skated on Friday, barely 12 hours after being taken off the ice on a stretcher during a loss to Dallas.
Coach Mike Johnston said the 35-year-old forward “looked fine” while going through some conditioning work for trainers. Dupuis did not participate in practice but Johnston said there’s a chance Dupuis could return to the lineup on Saturday night when the Penguins face the New York Islanders.
“All signs are real positive this morning,” Johnston said.
Dupuis was cross-checked in front of the net by Stars defenseman Alex Goligoski in the second period Thursday night and hit in the neck or upper-back area by teammate Kris Letang’s shot from the point while he was down. Dupuis got up on one knee before clutching his arm and lying back on the ice.
He complained of numbness in the arm but gave a thumbs up to the crowd as he was taken to the trainer’s room and was able to meet with his teammates afterward.
“It’s scary when you see that, you don’t know what’s happening,” Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. “I saw him after the game and knew he was good. I’m happy to hear that obviously.”
Dupuis has once goal and three assists in Pittsburgh’s first four games. He missed the second half of the 2013-14 season after tearing the ACL in his right knee.
“You’re thinking to yourself it’s never good to see that but especially a guy who’s been what he’s been through lately,” Crosby said.
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