Injured Pittsburgh Penguins forwards Noel Acciari and Justin Brazeau were full participants in the team’s practice session in Cranberry on Monday. It marked the first time both players skated in a full capacity since they were placed on injured reserve Nov. 4.
The precise nature of their ailments is not publicly known, but neither player has dressed for a game for the better part of a month.
Coach Dan Muse indicated Acciari and Brazeau will travel with the team for an upcoming two-game road trip but are not likely to play in Thursday’s contest against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Acciari last suited up in a 4-3 road loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 3. Primarily stationed on the right wing of the fourth line and on the penalty kill, Acciari has played in 13 games this season and has recorded three assists while averaging 12:56 of ice time per contest.
Brazeau’s most recent game was a 4-1 road win against the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 30. Despite such a long convalescence, he is the team’s sixth-leading scorer with 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 12 games. Primarily deployed on the right wing of the second line and with the second power-play unit, Brazeau has averaged 13:29 of ice time per contest.
Notes:
• Penguins forwards Joona Koppanen (illness) and Anthony Mantha (maintenance) did not practice on Wednesday. Both players are scheduled to travel with the team to Tampa, Fla.
• The team did not have any sort of discernible lines or pairings during Wednesday’s practice.
• The top power-play unit included forwards Sidney Crosby, Ben Kindel, Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust, along with defenseman Erik Karlsson.
The second power-play unit involved forwards Kevin Hayes, Ville Koivunen, Tommy Novak and Brazeau as well as defenseman Kris Letang.
