Penguins' Dupuis returns to practice

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Pascal Dupuis practiced wth his teammates Sunday for the first time since suffering an injury earlier this month.

"It felt good. It was a good step in the right direction," Dupuis told reporters in a post-practice scrum.

"The next step is to see how it reacts overnight. It went pretty good out there. Right now, there are no issues at all. I stayed out a little bit longer."

Dupuis was expected to be out four-to-five weeks with the lower-body ailment that is unrelated to the blood clot condition that caused him to miss all but 16 games last season.

"I'm right on the schedule of the progress of this injury. Today was a good step," Dupuis said Sunday.

"If I went out and didn't feel good it would be a step back. The fact that I stayed on and went through practice, did a normal practice, and had a big smile on my face and had fun, I think it's the right way."

Dupuis is in his ninth season with the Penguins after spending parts of two campaigns with the Atlanta Thrashers, six games with the New York Rangers, and parts of six seasons with the Minnesota Wild.