Injury report: Pens' Stanley Cup hero out for season opener

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist isn't expected to start the season this week.

Hornqvist suffered a hand injury in last season's playoff run and required off-season surgery to repair it.

He continues to skate on his own, with no timetable for his return. Head coach Mike Sullivan hopes and expects him to be back soon, but can't give any definitive answer on when the winger will return.

“At this point, it's not probable that that's going to happen before game one,” Sullivan said to Jonathan Bombulie of Trib Live. “We're going to make sure that when we do put him in that he's ready. I think at this particular point in the season, it's important that we err on the side of caution with him.

“He's making progress, for sure. Our hope is he's going to be joining the team for practice here in a timely manner and then we'll make decisions accordingly, but it doesn't look like we're going to get him for game one.”

Hornqvist famously scored the game-winning goal late in game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals against the Nashville Predators, effectively clinching the elusive title for his team, for a second straight year.