Lemieux Skips Practice Because of Pain in Back

The Pittsburgh Penguins aren’t worried about Mario Lemieux’s sore back--yet.

Lemieux skipped a voluntary practice Monday but showed up at the Penguins’ practice rink in Canonsburg, Pa., and told teammates he was feeling better.

Lemieux hasn’t played much worse since returning to the team than he did in Sunday’s 4-2 loss to the expansion Minnesota Wild. He was held scoreless for only the second time in his 19-game comeback.

Restricted by the back pain and the Wild’s neutral-zone trap, he took only three shots, all in the third period. In a 5-4 overtime victory Saturday over the New Jersey Devils, he was limited to a single assist.

Before ending his 3 1/2-year retirement in late December, the 35-year-old team owner said his back was the one unknown factor.

While he no longer has the debilitating pain that once forced him to stop playing for weeks at a time, he was uncertain how his back would respond after being away from the game for so long.

Lemieux, bothered frequently by back pain from 1990-97, had soreness in his first two comeback games in late December. After that, he said, “The back felt the best it’s been in years” until he “felt something pop” early in practice Friday.

*

Ottawa 3, New York Islanders 1--Alexei Yashin scored two power-play goals at Ottawa.

New York Rangers 4, Columbus 3--Mike Richter made 37 saves and four Rangers scored at Columbus, Ohio.

Notes

The sale of the Phoenix Coyotes to a group headed by Phoenix developer Steve Ellman and hall of famer Wayne Gretzky will close Wednesday, one day before the deadline, said Bill Daly, the NHL’s chief legal officer. . . . Goaltender Byron Dafoe, a key to the Boston Bruins’ recent surge, is expected to be sidelined at least two weeks because of a hamstring injury. . . . Forward Tyson Nash of the St. Louis Blues will be sidelined four to six weeks because of a knee injury. . . . Ulf Samuelsson, a 37-year-old defenseman who was unable to catch on with an NHL team this season, announced his retirement after 16 NHL seasons.