Penguins
Daniel Sprong Hopeful He’ll Be Healthy For Opener
CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Pittsburgh Penguins winger Daniel Sprong, who got a knee injury Wednesday in a preseason game, said Monday his recovery has gone well enough that he hopes to be available to play Thursday in the season opener against Washington at PPG Paints Arena.
Sprong rejoined practice Monday, although in a gray no-contact jersey.
“The last two days and this morning I skated on my own,” he said. “I felt really good. I got the OK to skate with the team today no-contact, and then I did some contact with (assistant) Mark Recchi after practice.”
The Penguins are off Tuesday. Sprong is hopeful he will be able to practice at full go Wednesday.
Sprong, a sniper by reputation, has gotten mixed reviews this preseason as he tries to find a permanent spot in the team’s game-day lineup, but he would like to get a chance to dress Thursday.
“Right now every step I’ve taken there have been no setbacks, and the knee feels really good,” he said. “I’m happy with the process. By how everything feels right now, I should be ready to go for Thursday.”
Meanwhile, defenseman Brian Dumoulin and goaltender Tristan Jarry remained out of practice because of unspecified day-to-day injuries. Dumoulin skated separately early Monday, but Jarry has not been on the ice.
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They should play Sprong on the 4th line like Toronto did with Kasperi Kapanen. He will get better at 2 way game without hurting the team,
You make a good point. There is a thought that some forwards won’t thrive if they aren’t in, say, the top six, and that a sniper such as Sprong is in that category. Whether you subscribe to that theory or not, the Penguins arguably will have a fourth line that will have talent equal to the top six or at least top nine on many other clubs. So if Sprong can grow and thrive with a little less ice time but with a higher caliber of linemates than most teams can offer on a fourth line, it could work.