Malkin out
Evgeni Malkin will be out at least a week after the Penguins placed him on injured reserve.
NEWARK, N.J. —Two days after Evgeni Malkin took a heavy hit against the Boston Bruins, his status remains murky.
Thursday morning coach Mike Sullivan said the star center is still being evaluated. Sullivan didn’t have many more specific details about Malkin’s diagnosis or a timeline for his return.
Later that afternoon the Penguins placed Malkin on injured reserve retroactive to March 16, a designation that means he’ll need to miss at least seven days. At a minimum, he’ll be out for games Thursday and Saturday in New Jersey and Sunday at PPG Paints Arena against the Devils.
“We hope to have more definitive information over the next day or so,” Sullivan said Thursday.
Maklin’s absence will test the Penguins’ depth at center, force them to significantly reshuffle their lineup and, maybe, re-evaluate their priorities ahead of the April 12 trade deadline.
The injury initially occurred Tuesday. Malkin, 34, was turning a corner in the offensive zone, when he was rocked by Boston’s 6-foot-6, 220- pound defenseman Jarred Tinordi. The Penguins center slowly made his way to the bench and went into the dressing room. He returned for a single powerplay shift, but then went right back into the dressing room.
It looked as if Malkin’s knee collided with Tinordi’s; however, it’s unclear if that was the cause of the injury.
The timing is unfortunate, to say the least. Malkin was in the midst of a surge in which he racked up 17 points in 15 games. The Penguins had won 11 games during that span, including six in a row before the streak was snapped and the star injured on Tuesday.
Malkin had noted earlier in the year that gyms were hard to come by in Russia and, maybe as a result, his skating legs didn’t look to be there when the season began after an abbreviated oneweek training camp. But recently, it looked like the big Russian had regained the jump to his step.
Blueger on IR
Malkin’s injury only magnifies what was already a thin depth chart at center.
Teddy Blueger is out with an upper-body injury that’s expected to keep him out longer-term. The Penguins formally placed him on injured reserve on Thursday, retroactive to March 15. That leaves them without their second-line and third-line centers.
To start Thursday’s game forward Evan Rodrigues centered the second line. His positional flexibility was one of main reasons the Penguins chose to spend $700,000 of their limited free agent budget on Rodrigues this offseason. He skated between Kapanen and Brandon Tanev.
Mark Jankowski, another player signed to the veteran minimum in free agency, was elevated from a fourthline role to third-line center. Zach Aston-Reese and Sam Laffety were his wingers.
Frederick Gaudreau also made his Penguins debut. The 27-year-old, who split time between the taxi squad and the AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, centered the fourth line. Colton Sceviour and Anthony Angello were his wingers.
Gaudreau is a player whom some Penguins fans might remember. He played in eight career playoff games with the Nashville Predators, all during the 2017 season in which the Penguins won their second consecutive Stanley Cup.
Other inujuries
John Marino was activated off of injured reserve and returned to the lineup for the first time March 9.
The 23-year-old righty missed the previous four games with an upper-body injury. He has some experience stepping back into the lineup after an absence. Last year, he sat out a month after taking a puck to the face and undergoing surgery.
Asked what he learned from that experience, Marino said, “Just to do all the little things off the ice. Make sure you’re ready when you finally come back, whether it’s conditioning or just rehabbing and making sure you’re up to speed.”
Meanwhile, forward Jared McCann and defenseman Mark Friedman also skated in regular-contact jerseys.
‘Ironic’ linemates
While Rodrigues looks to form quick chemistry with his new linemates, he’s already responsible for at least one milestone in Kapanen’s career — his first NHL fight.
On March 2, 2019, Kapanen was on the Toronto Maple Leafs and Rodrigues on the Buffalo Sabres. Words were exchanged. Then fists.
“Me and E-Rod battled even before that when he was in [Rochester] and I was with the Marlies [in the AHL],” Kapanen said. “I don’t think we liked each other too much in the beginning to be honest.”