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Penguins' Rickard Rakell out 6-8 weeks after hand surgery

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Rickard Rakell is expected to be sidelined six to eight weeks after having surgery on his broken left hand, the team said Sunday.

Rickard sustained the injury while blocking a shot in the third period of a shootout loss to Columbus on Saturday night.

The injury timeline means Rakell would miss the NHL Global Series against the Nashville Predators in his native Sweden on Nov. 14 and 16.

Rakell was injured in Saturday's shootout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Pittsburgh is off to a 6-2-1 start, its best since 2019-20, with Rakell providing three goals and five assists.

The Penguins called up forward Ville Koivunen from their AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Pittsburgh next plays Monday night at home against the St. Louis Blues.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.