Penguins’ Dupuis skates after leaving game on stretcher

Pittsburgh, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – Pittsburgh Penguins forward Pascal Dupuis was back on the ice at Consol Energy Center on Friday morning, several hours after being removed on a stretcher from the team’s 3-2 loss to the Dallas Stars on Thursday night.

Wearing a warmup suit, Dupuis skated on his own for 20 minutes and fired a few shots before the Penguins’ regular practice was scheduled to begin.

“He looked fine this morning,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Johnston said Friday. “He got checked out by the medical staff. He’s been basically cleared by them. They were just doing a couple more precautionary tests. They wanted to see him out on the ice and getting his heart rate up.

“All signs were real positive this morning.”

During the contest against Dallas, Dupuis was cross-checked in the back by Stars defenseman Alex Goligoski with 6:58 remaining in the middle stanza. Dupuis fell to the ice in front of the Dallas crease and was struck near the base of his neck by a Kris Letang shot.

The 35-year-old Dupuis immediately motioned to the bench for assistance. He gave a thumbs-up gesture with his left hand as he was wheeled off the ice.

After the game, Johnston said Dupuis “had some numbness in his arm and (feeling) was coming back.”

Dupuis, who is returning from a torn ACL, has one goal and three assists this season.

He has not been ruled out of the lineup for Saturday night’s contest against the New York Islanders. If Dupuis is unable to go against New York, Andrew Ebbett will be inserted into the lineup.

Categorized in: NHL