Penguins lose Schultz, Bjugstad to long-term injuries

The injury bug continues to take its toll on the Pittsburgh Penguins, as defenseman Justin Schultz and forward Nick Bjugstad were both ruled out with long-term injuries on Thursday.

Head coach Mike Sullivan said Schultz is sidelined "longer term" with a lower-body injury, while Bjugstad will miss at least eight weeks after surgery on a core muscle.

Pittsburgh is already without captain Sidney Crosby and blue-liner Kris Letang; the Penguins have already dealt with injuries to key forwards Evgeni Malkin, Patric Hornqvist, and Bryan Rust earlier this season.

Schultz has appeared in 21 games in 2019-20, recording two goals and six assists across 20:57 of ice time per contest. Bjugstad has been limited to 10 games in his second season with the Penguins, notching just a single goal.

Despite the onslaught of injuries, Pittsburgh sits in the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with an 11-7-3 record entering Thursday's clash with the New York Islanders.