Player News
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Nieto scored a goal and went plus-2 in Thursday's 9-2 win over the Canadiens. Nieto had been scratched for the previous three games. He opened the season scoreless over nine outings before breaking through in Game No. 10 with his first tally of the season. The 32-year-old is mostly a defensive forward and figures to spend the bulk of his playing time on the fourth line. He has added 10 shots on net, seven hits, seven blocked shots and a minus-4 rating this season.
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Nieto (knee) was taken off injured reserve and will be in action against the Blue Jackets on Friday. Nieto will play in an NHL game for the first time in nearly a year, having last suited up versus the Lightning on Nov. 30, 2023. The winger has never reached the 30-point threshold in his career but should still be capable of putting up 20-plus points in a bottom-six role now that his knee injury is finally behind him. Once Kevin Hayes (upper body) and Cody Glass (concussion) are cleared to play, minutes could be harder to come by for Nieto, though he should be in the lineup more often than not.
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Nieto (knee) was recalled from his conditioning assignment Thursday. Nieto remains on injured reserve but could be trending in the right direction toward a return to action versus the Blue Jackets on Friday. During his two-game stint in the minors, the forward recorded one goal and a plus-2 rating for the Baby Pens. Once given the all-clear, Nieto should be in the mix for a bottom-six role, which could relegate Jesse Puljujarvi or Valtteri Puustinen to a spot in the press box.
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Nieto (knee) was sent to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a conditioning loan Saturday. It's a significant step for Nieto in his return following offseason knee surgery. The veteran winger played 22 games with the Penguins last year, logging one goal and four points.
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Nieto (knee) was a full-contact participant at practice Monday, Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Nieto has been skating with the team for a while but appears to have upped his participation level Monday. Given the long-term nature of the 31-year-old forward's knee injury, he probably shouldn't be expected to immediately jump into the lineup versus the Islanders on Tuesday. Once given the all-clear, Nieto will have to be activated off long-term injured reserve, a move that will likely send Valtteri Puustinen down to the minors.
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Last 7 Games
| DATE | Opp | Result | G | A | PTS | +/- | SOG | TOI | FPTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/19 | @  |
W 5-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15:63 | 0 |
| 12/17 | vs  |
W 3-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11:72 | 0 |
| 12/14 | @  |
L 3-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 12:47 | 2 |
| 12/12 | @  |
W 9-2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 13:43 | 5 |
| 12/10 | vs  |
L 6-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12/07 | vs  |
W 5-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12/06 | @  |
L 4-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Upcoming Games
| date | Opp | time |
|---|---|---|
| 12/21 | @  |
8:00 PM |
| 12/23 | vs  |
8:00 PM |
| 12/28 | @  |
8:30 PM |
| 12/29 | vs |
6:30 PM |
| 12/31 | @  |
9:00 PM |
| 1/03 | @  |
8:00 PM |
| 1/05 | @  |
7:00 PM |
Career Stats
| Year | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PPG | SHOG | GWG | FOW | FOL | FPTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2023 | 22 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 2022 | 81 | 12 | 12 | 24 | -15 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 49 |
| 2021 | 70 | 6 | 11 | 17 | -20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 24.7 |
| 2020 | 28 | 5 | 2 | 7 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 15 |
| 2019 | 70 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 60.5 |
| 2018 | 64 | 4 | 19 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 8 | 55 |
| 2017 | 74 | 15 | 11 | 26 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 77.5 |
| 2016 | 59 | 7 | 6 | 13 | -12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 23 |
| 2015 | 67 | 8 | 9 | 17 | -8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 38.5 |
| 2014 | 72 | 10 | 17 | 27 | -12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 59 |
| 2013 | 66 | 10 | 14 | 24 | -4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 60 |
| 3 Year Avg | 58 | 6 | 9 | 15 | -9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 30.2 |
| Career | 686 | 87 | 117 | 204 | -58 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 38 | 63 |