Shoulder injury sidelines Penguins’ Guentzel for 4-6 months

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Penguins leading scorer Jake Guentzel is out at least four months after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old Guentzel injured the shoulder in the third period of a 5-2 victory over Ottawa on Monday night when he slammed into the boards shortly after tapping in his team-high 20th goal of the season. Guentzel slowly made his way to the bench clutching his right arm.

Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford says Dr. Dharmesh Vyas, and Dr. Ivan Tarkin performed the surgery.

Guentzel is a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Penguins. He helped Pittsburgh thrive despite missing captain Sidney Crosby, who has been out since Nov. 9 after abdominal surgery. The Penguins are 14-5-3 during Crosby’s absence thanks in large part to Guentzel’s playmaking. Guentzel was named to the All-Star team on Monday, just hours before going down.

Rutherford said the expected recovery is 4-6 months, meaning there’s a chance Guentzel could return for a portion of the playoffs. Pittsburgh entered Tuesday in second place in the Metropolitan Division behind Washington.