When Patric Hornqvist left in the first period of the Penguins' 5-1 win over the Panthers on Tuesday night, Zach Aston-Reese moved into his spot on the second line. Until he, too, was lost to injury.
Wednesday, the Penguins placed Aston-Reese on injured reserve, meaning he will miss at least seven days.
To fill his spot, the Penguins have recalled Wilkes-Barre/Scranton captain Garrett Wilson. The organization certainly liked what it saw from the 27-year-old in 14 games with Pittsburgh earlier this season.
Wilson notched two assists, including his first NHL point Nov. 27 in Winnipeg, and was a physical presence on the forecheck, throwing 23 hits, while seeing :23 of shorthanded ice time per game and drawing five penalties. In his last game, Wilson tried to goad Washington's Tom Wilson into a second fight after the Capitals' forward had knocked out Jamie Oleksiak from the game with a concussion.
Garrett Wilson has 18 points in 18 games at the AHL level this year, with five of his eight goals coming on the power play.
Derek Grant, a healthy scratch the past four games, and/or Wilson will likely slide into the lineup when the Penguins begin their five-game West Coast trip that begins Friday night against the Ducks in Anaheim.
Meanwhile, Hornqvist's status is unclear after he was hit in the face with a puck after a shot by Mark Pysyk with 7:55 remaining in the period. He skated off to the locker room while holding his mouth and did not return to the game.
Sullivan did not have an update on Hornqvist's status after the game.
Aston-Reese dropped the gloves with Colton Sceviour at 5:49 of the third period and did not take another shift. He left for the locker room with trainer Chris Stewart after being released from the penalty box.
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