The Pittsburgh Penguins announced that winger Patric Hornqvist is out for a longer-term than expected with a lower-body injury and has been placed on Injured Reserve.
Hornqvist is out longer term with a lower-body injury. He’s been placed on IR #pens -SK
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) November 3, 2019
Patric Hornqvist Injured
Hornqvist left Tuesday’s game vs Edmonton Oilers in the third period after appearing to favor his left leg. He would not return for the overtime period.
So far this season, Hornqvist has scored five goals and five assists for 10 points to go along with 10 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers were 50.7 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of -3.3.
Over his 12-year NHL career, Hornqvist has played for the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins. He has 226 goals and 232 assists for 458 career points in 732 career games. The Predators originally drafted him in the seventh round, 230th overall in the 2005 NHL Draft.
What This Means for the Future
Injuries have hurt the Penguins all season. Last night was the first night they had most everyone healthy since the second game of the season. The Penguins will look to Evgeni Malkin to take over some of the production that Hornqvist provides in the line-up. Malkin is coming off a season that saw him play in 61 games and put up 21 goals. Those 21 goals were the lowest goal total for Malkin since the 2012-13 season where he only put up 9 goals in 31 games.
This a huge loss for the Penguins after they finally got Malkin back after he missed a month with a lower-body injury. With Hornqvist out of the line-up expect Dominik Kahun to find his way into the lineup after being a healthy scratch last night. Kahun has put up two goals and four assists for six points in 13 games this season. It will be interesting to see how the Penguins adjust without Hornqvist in the line-up.
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)
