Defenseman Olli Maatta underwent successful hand surgery and will be out six weeks, the Penguins announced Friday morning.
Meantime, they recalled defensemen Cameron Gaunce and Steve Oleksy ahead of Friday's game at Columbus.
The surgery for Maatta was performed by Penguins head team physician Dr. Dharmesh Vyas of the UPMC Sports Medicine team.
The injury is to Maatta's left hand, and it occurred when Jets center Adam Lowry hit Maatta late Thursday during a 4-3 Penguins overtime win at PPG Paints Arena.
Also in that game, Justin Schultz absorbed a hard hit from Winnipeg defenseman Dustin Byfuglien. The Penguins announced Friday afternoon that Schultz has a concussion.
Maatta, 22, has endured an up-and-down season, but he played arguably his best game of 2016-17 Tuesday against Vancouver.
Thursday against the Jets, Maatta logged just 7:38 before he was injured.
His absence could ramp up the importance of general manager Jim Rutherford acquiring a depth defenseman by the March 1 trade deadline.
Rutherford has previously stated that he'd like to add on the back end _ but for the right price and reinforcing the point that he doesn't feel any urgency to do so.
Schultz could have an even bigger impact if he's forced to miss any significant time; he's in the midst of a breakout year with nine goals, 39 points and a plus/minus rating of plus-31.
That point total ranks Schultz sixth among NHL defensemen. Only two defensemen have a better plus/minus rating.
The hit from Byfuglien came high, leaving Schultz a little woozy heading to the dressing room.
With Schultz out, here's the situation the Penguins are looking at:
_Chad Ruhwedel has been the No. 7 defenseman with the NHL club and has been perfectly fine. He's likely to assume one spot.
_Given Columbus' abrasive style and how Brandon Dubinsky plays against Sidney Crosby, the Penguins could opt for some protection in Oleksy, a willing combatant. In nine NHL games this season, Oleksy is tied for the team lead in fights (two) and has 22 penalty minutes.
_Gaunce showed well in his first stint with the NHL club, with two assists and a plus-3 rating in three games. Unlike Oleksy or Ruhwedel, Gaunce is left-handed. Oleksy and Ruhwedel are righties and almost exclusively play the right side.
Maatta has now had multiple shoulder surgeries, thyroid cancer, the mumps and hand surgery in 219 games spread over four seasons.
