Penguins assistant coach Mike Vellucci sidelined following minor medical procedure
Pittsburgh Penguins assistant coach Mike Vellucci will be away from the team for approximately a week after undergoing an undisclosed medical procedure that was labeled as minor.
Head coach Mike Sullivan announced Vellucci’s status following practice in Cranberry on Monday. Vellucci did not participate in the practice session.
The procedure was scheduled with the team remaining in Western Pennsylvania during the midst of a five-game home stand.
Vellucci’s main duties include overseeing the team’s forwards and penalty kill. The remaining coaching staff — including Sullivan as well as assistants Ty Hennes and David Quinn — will absorb those duties, at least on the bench.
“We’ll pick up the slack,” Sullivan said. “We’re going to divide and conquer as a group. I’ve already talked to my staff about how we’re going to handle it. Everybody is going to get a little bit. Mike does a lot for our staff. He’s an intelligent hockey man. He brings a lot to our group. He’s in charge of the penalty kill. He’s also going to do some stuff remotely until we get him back. In the short term, we’re just going to divide and conquer.”
Letang skates
Penguins defenseman Kris Letang skated before practice Monday. An undisclosed illness has sidelined him for the past two games.
Sullivan suggested the ailment is not serious and indicated Letang is “feeling a bit better” and labeled Letang as day-to-day.
Forwards Cody Glass and Kevin Hayes also skated before practice and had a “productive day on the ice,” per Sullivan.
Glass (concussion) and Hayes (undisclosed) are designated to injured reserve.
Lizotte still injured
Forward Blake Lizotte (concussion) did not skate Monday but is progressing off the ice, Sullivan said. He also is designated to injured reserve.
It has been a rough season for Lizotte, who suffered a pair of concussions within 45 days. The first occurred during a preseason game Sept. 29 with the second happening during a home contest Wednesday.
One concussion alone is a serious injury. Two in relatively quick succession are cause for elevated concern.
“When you have two in a short period of time, there’s definitely a heightened awareness with our medical team around that,” Sullivan said Saturday. “We trust and rely on (the medical staffers) to advise us on what’s best for Blake. Our players’ health and safety is first and foremost the priority. That will be the case with Blake. I know he’s in very good hands with our medical team. The reality with concussions … they’re all very different. They’re not easy to predict any sort of time frame from a recovery standpoint because of how unique they are and the individuality of each one.
“We’ll take each day as it comes, and we’re hoping that we get Blake back here fairly soon.”
Nieto returns
Penguins forward Matt Nieto’s first two games of this season took place this past week, and they have hardly been notable. He has no points and three shots (on five attempts) in those contests.
But given that they were his first two games in approximately 11 months, they are minor occasions to celebrate.
A pair of knee injuries (one to each appendage) had sidelined him since Nov. 30, 2023, and he did not return to the Penguins’ NHL lineup until a 6-2 road loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday.
Including a 4-3 home shootout win against the Sharks on Saturday, he primarily has been deployed on the left wing of the fourth line and on the penalty kill. Those two contests came after a brief two-game conditioning assignment with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.
“I’ve felt really good,” Nieto said. “Obviously, missing that much time, you don’t really know how it’s going to go out there. I prepared the best I could. Went on the conditioning stint, got a couple of games (with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton). But the pace here is so much different, but I felt like I kept up with the pace. The legs felt really good. Definitely something to build off of coming off a long break.”
Throughout most of his 12-year career, quick skating has been arguably the most prominent attribute of Nieto’s NHL existence.
How have his injuries impacted that part of his game?
“I feel fast,” Nieto said. “I feel strong and sturdy. I put in a lot of work to get to this point. Missing that much time, I don’t think I would have come back unless I felt confident in my knees. I just feel like I’m in a really good spot right now.”
Nieto already has carved out a steady spot on the penalty kill since returning to the lineup as he has logged 7:31 of short-handed ice time in those two games, third-most on the team. He has been teamed extensively with forward Noel Acciari on the penalty kill as well as on the fourth line.
“He plays an important role for us,” goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic said. “Him and (Acciari) are probably our two best penalty killers. You always know when he’s on the ice, something good is going to happen. If not, you know nothing bad is going to happen. That’s my kind of favorite player is when you see that guy on the ice, you’re like, ‘All right, we’re going to have a good shift here.’ ”
The Penguins initially announced Nieto underwent laparoscopic surgery to his right knee Jan. 4 and offered a recovery time frame of six to eight weeks.
His absence lasted well beyond that and by May 2, he went under the knife again, this time for his left MCL.
On Monday, Nieto revealed his left knee had been ailing him before he his right knee was operated on and it eventually was determined he should undergo surgery on the left knee during the early stages of the offseason.
“Once I started coming back (from the right knee injury) at the end of last year, just kind of re-tweaked it,” Nieto said. “At that point, felt that it was necessary to get it fixed and move on.
“We just felt the best option was to get it taken care of. I’m glad that I did because now I feel great.”
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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