TORONTO — The Pittsburgh Penguins did not get good news Saturday. Winger Rickard Rakell stayed on the ice well after teammates headed to the locker room after the morning skate at Scotiabank Arena.
Coach Mike Sulivan confirmed Rakell would not play Saturday night when the Penguins face the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Rakell, 29, was a full participant in the Penguins’ practice Friday. However, if was his first full practice, and he has not played since Nov. 21.
Read More: Rakell Close to Return, Says He Was “In a Pretty Dark Place.”
Rakell did not rule out playing on Friday as he spoke with a few Pittsburgh media members. This season, Rakell has four assists in 17 games. Both he and Sullivan are optimistic for a reset to Rakell’s season.
“I think it’s a huge benefit for him. He obviously didn’t have the start from a production standpoint that he wanted, or we wanted to, for that matter,” Sullivan said Saturday. “We rely on him to score goals for us. And he’s a really good player and has been a real good Pittsburgh Penguin. This is a great opportunity for him to just hit the reset button when we do reinsert him into the lineup.”
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