Penguins D Orpik injured

Jan 17, 2009 - 6:56 AM PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- And then there were four.

The Pittsburgh Penguins lost another of their top defensemen Friday as Brooks Orpik left their 3-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks in the second period with an undisclosed injury.

Pittsburgh is now left with just six healthy blue-liners on its roster, which originally carried 10. On Friday, coach Michel Therrien used five players who had appeared in 11 NHL games or fewer this season.

Orpik's status for Sunday's battle with the New York Rangers is uncertain, but if the 28-year-old is to miss an extended period of time, he will join fellow blue-liners Kris Letang, Rob Scuderi and Sergei Gonchar on the sidelines.

The Penguins, who won for just the third time in 11 games, also skated without center Maxime Talbot and captain Sidney Crosby, who left Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Washington Capitals late in the third period with a leg injury and did not return.

Both Letang and Scuderi also went down against Washington, while Gonchar has been sidelined all campaign with a separated shoulder suffered in the preseason.

Orpik has recorded two goals and 10 assists in 46 games this season.

A native of San Francisco, Orpik was selected 18th overall by Pittsburgh in the 2000 draft. The 6-2, 219-pounder has collected six tallies and 48 points in 343 contests with the Penguins over his six-year career.