Zach Aston-Reese’s injury is…not great for Penguins’ playoff chase
The Pittsburgh Penguins turned things around recently in their campaign to lock up a playoff berth, but losing forward Zach Aston-Reese is going to hurt.
You might say that players getting hurt in practice is a mark of a team that takes itself seriously — a team that is here for nothing less than a run at the Stanley Cup.
Or you might say it’s stupid and unnecessary.
Penguins fans might be of the latter opinion Wednesday after coach Mike Sullivan revealed that forward Zach Aston-Reese will be out “longer-term” with an upper body injury:
Coach Sullivan on Aston-Reese: “Zach was not a healthy scratch last night yesterday he got hurt in practice.” Coach adds that it is an upper-body injury and that he will be out “longer term”.
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 28, 2018
After signing a two-year entry-level contract with Pittsburgh nearly a year ago, Aston-Reese made his NHL debut on Feb. 3. He has amassed four goals and two assists in his first 10 NHL games since, including two goals in a 6–3 Penguins victory over the Ottawa Senators on Feb. 13.
In fact, Aston-Reese has been playing so well that he’s been serving as a wing on the Penguins’ top line with Sidney Crosby.
Many Penguins fans assumed Aston-Reese was a healthy scratch on Tuesday night when he didn’t take the ice and were, needless to say, befuddled by his apparent demotion, given that he’d played more than 16 minutes and netted two goals in back-to-back wins against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets.
That belief especially took hold given the Penguins’ roster tweaks around the trade deadline, in which the team sent and recalled Aston-Reese to and from the minors:
Per the AHL transaction page, the Penguins sent and recalled Zach Aston-Reese to/from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, presumably to keep him eligible for the AHL postseason: pic.twitter.com/E60ka3vfsp
— Seth Rorabaugh (@SethRorabaugh) February 27, 2018
However, the confirmation that Aston-Reese’s absence Tuesday in the Penguins’ 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils — a team breathing down Pittsburgh’s neck for the third playoff berth in the Metropolitan Division — was due to an injury suffered in practice was a different, equally tough pill to swallow.
The timing and circumstances of Aston-Reese’s absence are especially frustrating for Penguins fans given that goaltender Matt Murray was injured in that same Monday practice, taking a puck to the helmet. He also missed Wednesday’s practice with a concussion.
The Penguins clawed their way back into the playoff standings with a beautiful 9-3 stretch in January, but a lot can change in the 18 games they have remaining in the regular season. Losing Murray short-term and Aston-Reese “longer term” is not going to help Pittsburgh keep up its recent steam.