Pittsburgh Penguins’ Pascal Dupuis Out Of Action With Blood Clot In His Lung
By Larry Snyder
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced in a press conference on Wednesday afternoon that Pascal Dupuis has been diagnosed with a blood clot in his lung. He will be out of the lineup for at least six months while undergoing treatment with blood thinners.
The clot was identified during testing on Monday, after the 6-foot-1, 205-pound right wing had complained of discomfort in his chest. He had played in Saturday’s home contest with the Rangers, but did not practice on Monday or attend Tuesday’s game in Montreal.
“Pascal had a blood clot in his leg that traveled to his lung,” said Penguins team physician Dr. Dharmesh Vyas. “In medical terms, that is a deep vein thrombosis resulting in a pulmonary embolism. This is the second such incident that we know of for Pascal. The treatment is at least six months of blood thinners, during which time he will not be able to play hockey. Other than that, his condition is stable.”
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Dupuis, 35, was diagnosed previously with a blood clot in January 2014, shortly after he suffered torn ligaments in his knee. He was placed on blood thinners for six months while also recovering from surgery and rehabilitating his knee.
The Laval, Quebec, native was cleared to return to action in October and contributed six goals, five assists for a total of 11 points in 16 games this season. He scored two goals in a 2-1 win at Toronto on Nov. 14.
It has been a rough season for Dupuis as he was hit by a slap shot in the back of the neck in a game on Oct. 16 against the Dallas Stars, and was taken off the ice on a stretcher. He briefly lost feeling in both arms but didn’t miss a game.
Dupuis has played 853 NHL games in 14 seasons with the Pens, Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers and Atlanta Thrashers. The versatile forward has put up 188 goals and 217 assists for 405 points so far in his career. He was acquired by the Black and Gold in a February 2008 trade with Atlanta.
Pittsburgh is back at CONSOL Energy Center on Friday, Nov. 21 to take on the New York Islanders (12-6-0, 24 points). The puck is set to drop at 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ROOT Sports Pittsburgh.