The Pittsburgh Penguins had an off-day on Friday and prior to leaving for Atlanta this afternoon, the Penguins learned that winger Alexei Ponikarovsky has been suspended for two games, without pay by the NHL.
Ponikarovsky was assessed a major penalty for boarding and a game misconduct at 3:01 of the third period in Thursday’s game against the New York Islanders.
Ponikarovsky, the Penguins marquee acquisition at the March NHL trade deadline, has two goals and 7 assists in 16 games played.
The Penguins head into Saturday’s game with the possibility of having 12 healthy forwards. The team was believed to be leaning towards resting Chris Kunitz until the playoffs. Kunitz has a shoulder injury and has missed the past two games.
Eric Godard who has only appeared in one game since February 1st, will be a candidate to return to the lineup.