Penguins confirm the worst for veteran defenseman Erik Karlsson

This just in, the Pittsburgh Penguins have placed veteran defenseman Erik Karlsson on injured reserve this morning.

Karlsson played over 23 minutes in the Penguins' 1-0 loss to the Boston Bruins on Sunday evening and there was speculation that his injury might not be serious but today the team confirmed the worst by placing him on the IR. He'll be out of the lineup for at least two weeks.

This is a near worst-case scenario for the Penguins as Karlsson has been having a resurgent season with the team and is driving a lot of their offense from the back-end. The 35 year old former Norris Trophy winner has 4 goals and 33 points in 44 games for the Pens this season.

After six straight wins the Penguins have dropped two consecutive decisions and are now one point out of a Wild Card playoff spot. Losing Karlsson for two weeks at such a critical juncture of the season could prove to be the nail in the coffin on the Penguins' 2025-26 campaign.