Bad News For Penguins Forward

The 24 year old was hit high by Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba during the first period Thursday night.

While O'Connor returned to play the second and third periods of the Minnesota game, he is absent from the Penguins' matchup against Detroit this afternoon.

The Penguins called up Alex Nylander on an emergency basis Friday afternoon, just a day after the hit. Nylander took O'Connor's place in today's game against Detroit, scoring his first goal as a Penguin.

It is possible that O'Connor could be in concussion protocol as a result of Dumba's hit, however, that has yet to be confirmed.

The potential loss of O'Connor is bad news for the Penguins, as the forward has been their most successful bottom-six player this season.

O'Connor has 5 goals and 6 assists this season.