PITTSBURGH – As the Pittsburgh Penguins returned to their first practice after the bye week, they were joined by multiple familiar faces. Not only did Jesse Puljujarvi sign a two-year contract, but a pair of injured players returned to the ice at what seemed like full capacity.
Reilly Smith and John Ludvig were both present and full participants at the Penguins first skate back from the break. Smith has been out for nearly a month with an upper-body injury, while Ludvig has been absent since New Year’s Eve.
Ludvig was recently sent to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for a conditioning stint where he played in a pair of games.
In the first practice back, Smith skated on the second line with Evgeni Malkin and Drew O’Connor while Ludvig was on the third defensive pair with Chad Ruhwedel. Smith was also a feature on the top power play unit.
Following the practice, Smith stated he feels good and Ludvig echoed a similar sentiment saying he's ready when the team needs him. Head coach Mike Sullivan labeled both as game-time decisions for Tuesday against the Winnipeg Jets. Puljujarvi was also listed as a game-time decision.
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