Utah Mammoth News

Maatta was on the ice for the second day in a row and skated alongside Kris Letang in Tuesday’s practice, but remains a game-time decision for Game 1 vs. the Rangers. Monitor his status during the Penguins morning skate on Wednesday, but things are trending in the right direction for him to return after a nine-game absence.

Maatta missed the final nine games of the regular season and might miss the start of the postseason as well. He took part in the Penguins’ practice this morning, but said “I really can’t say for sure” when he was asked if he would play on Wednesday.

Maatta finished Thursday’s game in New Jersey, but will miss multiple weeks with a lower-body injury that he suffered. With Maatta out, Ben Lovejoy will draw back into the Penguins lineup on Saturday.

Maatta was set to be a restricted free agent at the end of the season, but is now signed through the 2021-22 season with a $4.083 million cap-hit. Maatta has 16 points (6G / 10A) in 53 games this season and 54 points (16G / 38A) in 151 career NHL games.

Agozzino had one shot on goal while averaging 9:23 TOI in two games with the Avalanche. He was a healthy scratch on Tuesday with John Mitchell back in the lineup, so he will head back to San Antonio.

Maatta is nearly two weeks into a 3-4 week timetable and his return to practice already suggests that he could return at the front-end of that timeline. Maatta will need to get a couple of practices under his belt before he gets back into the lineup.

Agozzino will move onto the Avs’ fourth line for Saturday’s game vs. the Jets. The 24-year-old has 16 points (7G / 9A) in 13 games with San Antonio (AHL) this season.

Maatta was hit from behind into the bench door in Tuesday’s win over the Islanders. He was hospitalized for nearly 24 hours and is now expected to miss 3-4 weeks with an upper-body injury. The Penguins were originally worried about organ damage, so 3-4 weeks isn’t too bad all things considered. Expect the Penguins to recall a blueliner on Wednesday night or Thursday morning.

Maatta spent the night in the hospital and will remain in the hospital on Wednesday and undergo further evaluation. The Penguins were originally concerned about internal organ damage, but that doesn’t appear to be as big of a concern at this point.

Maatta was hit into the open bench door in Tuesday’s win vs. Minnesota. Matt was down on the ice for a few minutes before being helped to the locker room. Matt was held overnight at a nearby hospital for evaluation and an update on his status is expected to come on Wednesday.

Maatta was sent down as a paper move to maximize the Penguins cap flexibility but it was always the plan to recall him and have him play in their season opener tonight in Dallas.

This move is believed to be a procedural move to help set them up to get down to their 23-man roster and sneak under the league’s salary cap. Maatta is expected to be recalled prior to their season opener and he should be in the lineup on Thursday.

Crouse was the 11th overall pick this summer and the Panthers announced in mid-September that he would be getting a nine-game NHL audition to start the season, but that’s not happening anymore. The winger is heading back to Kingston, where he had 51 points (29G / 22A) in 56 games last year.