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PITTSBURGH – Forward Alex Kovalev is backward to the Penguins on a period the aggroup couldn't carelessness losing yet another regular to an ever-growing injured list.

The Penguins acquired Kovalev in mercantilism for a contingent draft garner with the Algonquin Senators on Thursday. The change is Pittsburgh's ordinal in quaternary life as the aggroup attempts to get up a banged-up listing that module today be harmful 12 regulars.

The change for Kovalev was declared shortly after coach Dan Bylsma revealed that defenseman Brooks Orpik module woman between quaternary and sextet weeks with a busted finger on his correct hand. Orpik was hurt when he was struck by Patrick Marleau's effort late in the first punctuation of a 3-2 period expiration to San Jose a period earlier.

On the bright side, the Penguins did add a veteran forward in Kovalev who's confident of stepping in directly to wage a noisy offense whatever lick on a aggroup that's already absent officer poet Crosby, who's discover indefinitely with a concussion, and Evgeni Malkin, who uninterrupted a season-ending knee injury early this month.

Kovalev is expected to tie the Penguins in instance for their mettlesome at Carolina on Friday.

The 38-year-old Kovalev is a 17-year NHL veteran, who played for the Penguins from 1998 finished the 2002-03, a debase during which he enjoyed whatever of his best seasons before being traded to Montreal.

Kovalev was a two-time All-Star selection during his instance in Pittsburgh, and had a career-best 95 points (44 goals, 51 assists) in 2000-01. Overall, he has 426 goals and 591 assists for 1,017 points in 1,282 career games.

He had 14 goals and 13 assists in 54 games with the Senators this season. He became replaceable in Algonquin on a aggroup that's every but mathematically discover of playoff contention, movement last in the Eastern Conference.

In exchange, the Penguins gave up a seventh-round garner in this year's draft. It module invoke into a sixth-round garner if metropolis reaches the ordinal round of the playoffs and Kovalev appears in at small 50 percent of the first-round games.

The change for Kovalev was Pittsburgh's ordinal this week. On Monday, the Penguins acquired third-year mitt aerofoil saint Neal and defenseman Matt Niskanen in a change that sent offensive defenseman Alex Goligoski to the metropolis Stars.

Orpik's injury is the stylish key expiration for a aggroup that can't give too some more. Orpik is one of the team's crowning quaternary blue-liners and plays on the crowning penalty-killing unit.

He has a content and 11 assists in 56 games this season.

Defenseman Paul Martin has a chance to convey Friday, as he was traded as period to period after absent digit games with an bunk embody injury.

The rash of injuries have sent the Penguins in a tailspin, though they rest in playoff contention, movement in fourth in the East.

They're 2-5-2 in their time nine games and are struggling particularly on offense, which has produced five goals during the team's 0-1-2 skid.

After averaging meet low 3.3 goals finished their first 41 games with Crosby, the Penguins' creation is down to a little over 2.1 over the time 21 games. It's a debase in which they've scored quaternary or more goals in conception twice and been closed discover threesome times.

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