The Pittsburgh Penguins will play at least one more game without forward Patric Hornqvist. They did not seem to miss Hornqvist much in Game 4 of their first-round series with the Philadelphia Flyers, picking up a 5-0 win, and Matt Murray‘s second shutout of the series. With a three-games-to-one series lead, the Penguins are not taking any chances with Hornqvist.
Patric Hornqvist will not play for Penguins in Game 5 https://t.co/IGYGFOT3mx via @TribLIVE
— Jonathan Bombulie (@BombulieTrib) April 20, 2018
It is unclear how much longer Hornqvist will be out. “He won’t play (Friday), but he did skate (Thursday) morning,” Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan told the Pittsburgh Tribune.
Patric Hornqvist Will Not Play in Game 5 for Pittsburgh Penguins
It is not clear when Hornqvist suffered the injury, though some have speculated it came when Hornqvist was cross-checked by Andrew MacDonald. Hornqvist was given an embellishment penalty on the play.
Doesn’t matter how many times you look at it or cut it, Hornqvist gets crosschecked from behind into the boards. That’s not embellishment. That’s dangerous. pic.twitter.com/hZCbzXk9oQ
— habitual linestepper (@G_Off817) April 14, 2018
Hornqvist scored a goal and added two assists in the first three games of the series. Hornqvist had 29 goals and 20 assists for 49 points in 70 games this season. He also added 58 minutes in penalties. Hornqvist had strong possession numbers with a 54.1 percent Corsi For, and +1.7 Corsi relative this season.
Over his 10-year NHL career, Hornqvist has played for the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Nashville Predators. He has put up 203 goals and 208 assists for 411 points in 649 career NHL games. Hornqvist has added 20 goals and 16 assists for 36 points in 75 career Stanley Cup Playoff Games.
Rookie Dominik Simon took Hornqvist’s spot in the Penguins lineup in Game 4. It is expected that he will also play in Game 5. He picked up an assist in the game.
Game 5 goes at 7:30 pm EDT Friday, hosted at Pittsburgh’s PPG Paints Arena.
Main Photo: BOSTON, MA – JANUARY 26: Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Patric Hornqvist (72) skates during warm-up before a regular season NHL game between the Boston Bruins and the Pittsburgh Penguins on January 26, 2017, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Bruins defeated the Penguins 4-3. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
