Pittsburgh Penguins injuries continue piling up as updates are provided

The Pittsburgh Penguins are still only playing preseason games, but their list of injuries has grown so long one would thing they are deep in a playoff run in the month of April. This could be huge for the Penguins, in a bad way, if such setbacks happen with two potential key members lost from their lineup long-term.

Center Blake Lizotte was injured during their 5-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators at the annual Kraft Hockeyville game. Lizotte, on the bench at the Sudbury Community Arena, where bench positioning is unfamiliar, was struck in the head by a puck. His injury does raise some question marks about his availability with the regular season close to getting underway. He has, unfortunately, been diagnosed with a concussion, but his timeline is still uncertain.

Meanwhile, goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic left the ice with a lower-body injury just five minutes into their preseason game against the Red Wings. Originally supposed to play the entire game, Nedeljkovic left the ice after taking an intentional delay of game penalty by dislodging the net, signaling some level of discomfort. He is still being evaluated, with no timeline given for return. For now, the Penguins have listed their netminder as week-to-week with a lower body injury, but no specifics were discussed. The possible addition of Lizotte and Nedeljkovic to the list of question marks adds more early-season uncertainty for the Penguins.

Perhaps the biggest name on the list of injury concerns, though, is star defenseman Erik Karlsson. Karlsson has not been able to get onto the ice with his teammates yet as he remains in recovery from an upper-body injury that occurred prior to training camp. While he has been spotted skating independently, he has not joined the team for their most recent on-ice practices. He's still listed as day-to-day, which isn't exactly the best news with a limited amount of opportunities to practice ahead of the regular season. Coach Mike Sullivan has remained optimistic that Karlsson would be ready for the start of the regular season.

It goes without saying that, depending on the extent of his absence, the absence of Karlsson would affect the early-season performance of the Penguins, particularly with a frenetic October schedule where they play 12 games in 23 days. By November, the Penguins got off to poor starts over the past two seasons, placing them near or at the bottom of their division, failing to get into the playoffs by only a few points each season. A similar poor start this year could again jeopardize their postseason aspirations.

The recent rash of injuries the Penguins are dealing with puts a damper on what had otherwise been a very encouraging preseason. It will be hard to find their rhythm early without players such as Blake Lizotte, Alex Nedeljkovic, and most importantly, Erik Karlsson. With an early difficult stretch on the horizon, it is going to be important not to suffer another slow start if they have playoff aspirations this season.