Malkin eyes Monday for return
TAMPA, Fla. — Like a few of his teammates, Evgeni Malkin has been injured. He suffered an upperbody injury Jan. 30 against the Tampa Bay Lightning and hasn’t played since, although Malkin did practice in a non-contact capacity Friday at Amalie Arena.
Unlike many of his teammates, however, Malkin often can become the Penguins’ conscience, occasionally making bold predictions in the playoffs and also ripping the group when it underperforms.
Malkin’s return from injury and the pulpit he sometimes possesses were linked Friday as the Russian center discussed his ongoing return and also what needs to happen once he suits up again.
“We want to play in the playoffs. We want to be a great team. We want the Stanley Cup back,” Malkin said. “It’s not a secret. We’re hungry. We have a great team. We work every day to be the best. I hope [Justin Schultz] comes back, I’m back, no injuries before playoffs, we show our best game.”
Malkin clarified that his injury did not occur in his fight against Steven Stamkos but rather on a hit from Lighting defenseman Dan Girardi in the first couple of minutes of the game, a 4-2 Penguins win at PPG Paints Arena.
“I felt pain right away,” Malkin said. “It’s a tough game. We battle hard. Doctor gave me pain pills after the first period. It’s a little bit tough for me. When you play, you don’t always feel it. Worst pain is the next morning and the next day. The next day I felt so bad. I knew I had something wrong. I went and saw the doctor.”
Although he was back with the team Friday, Malkin wore a red, non-contact sweater and ruled himself out of the rematch Saturday against Tampa Bay. He said he hopes to play Monday in Philadelphia.
That Jan. 30 game was one of Malkin’s best this season. He was physically and emotionally engaged and wound up producing two assists. That was a big step forward for Malkin, although he’s “nervous” such momentum might not stretch over the five games he will have missed by Monday.
With his struggles to produce offense this season, Malkin said he is taking a cautiously optimistic approach to returning.
“If I say right now, yes, then I’m back and I don’t play great, it’s nothing,” Malkin said of the idea of being even more motivated when he gets back. “We can’t talk about my game every day. We’ll see when I’m back. Of course, I try to do my best. Of course, I have great motivation. I look at my 1,000 points [he has 985]. Huge point, in my opinion. I want to finish this year [strong].”
Other injuries
Here’s what we know about the other injured guys:
• Goaltender Matt Murray was a full participant at practice Friday and appears likely to play against the Lightning. He’s also not concerned about the amount of injuries he had in his career.
“It is what it is,” Murray said. “It’s part of the game. It’s a fast game out there. Things happen. I don’t think it’s worth getting frustrated over. I’m just trying to stop the puck. “
• Defenseman Justin Schultz also was full-go in his return from a broken left leg, although if he’s planning on playing Saturday, he did a solid job downplaying his potential return.
“You don’t want to rush this and come back too soon,” Schultz said. “It’s a pretty serious injury. Just trying to feel better every day and get to 100 percent.”
Remember that exactly four months — Schultz’s given time line — doesn’t hit until next Wednesday when the Penguins will face Edmonton, Schultz’s former employer.
• Zach Aston-Reese was back with the group Friday after injuring his left hand in a fight Jan. 8 with Florida’s Colton Sceviour . He wore a red, non-contact sweater, as well. He also said the injury occurred when Sceviour fell on him.
Crosby reflects
Sidney Crosby and Mario Lemieux each have played 915 NHL games, tied for the most in Penguins history. They both missed a lot of time because of injury and illness.
That was one of the things on Crosby’s mind as he reflected on the mark after practice.
“He did so much,” Crosby said of Lemieux. “Not even close to the amount of games he could have played. He fought through a lot of injuries and battled cancer. It all worked out. He got through it.”
Crosby said one of the things he’s most thankful for is that, like Lemieux, all his games have come for Pittsburgh, and he’ll never play for another team.
“The fact that I’ve stayed in Pittsburgh, I appreciate that,” Crosby said. “The fact that I’ve been able to share a lot of those games with a core group of guys, that’s nice to be able to share that with them. I want to play as many as I can.”
Crosby has missed 169 games because of injury in his career, which means he could’ve hit this mark more than two full seasons ago. In one sense, that could be sort of depressing. But Crosby does’t look at it like that.
“When you go through [so many injuries], you definitely gain a different perspective,” Crosby said. “On the flip side, you feel like it could have been a higher number of games at this point, too. You can look at it both ways. I think you definitely gain an appreciation for playing the game and all that comes with it.”