Winger Rust returns but Malkin does not suit up against Flyers

Evgeni Malkin did not play Sunday against the Philadelphia Flyers, a day after he took a crosscheck to the torso from former teammate Robert Bortuzzo in a 5-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues.

During a Penguins power play in the first period of Saturday’s loss, Malkin looped in front of the Blues net and was watching the puck, which was more than 10 feet away from him. Bortuzzo drilled Malkin, causing the center to fall to the ice.

Malkin stayed down long enough for an athletic trainer to run out to him. He soon got up and skated off the ice without assistance.

Because play was stopped

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due to an injured player, Malkin had to remain on the bench for the ensuing faceoff. He hopped right back out onto the ice after that and finished the rest of the game.

After Saturday’s game, Malkin received treatment for an unspecified injury but seemed relatively OK.

The Penguins did not disclose the reason for Malkin’s absence from the lineup before Sunday’s game.

Teddy Blueger, who had been skating on Malkin’s left wing over the past week, was the second-line center to start Sunday’s game. On his right was Phil Kessel. On his left was Bryan Rust, the versatile winger who returned to the lineup after missing nine games with a lower-body injury.

Rust was injured after colliding along the boards with Blue Jackets defenseman Adam McQuaid in the Feb. 26 win in Columbus.

“I didn’t feel very great then,” he said Friday. As he lay on the ice in Columbus that night, he feared he was hurt more seriously. Rust left Nationwide Arena on crutches.

Rust admitted that in recent days his recovery progressed much quicker than he anticipated. He hit the road with the team and participated in the morning skate before Thursday’s win in Buffalo. On Friday, he practiced in a team setting without the red non-contact jersey he wore the day before.

Letang still not ready

Kris Letang was not cleared to play Sunday against the Flyers.

The All-Star defenseman participated in Friday’s practice in Cranberry without contact restrictions and felt “pretty good” afterward, giving hope he might return to the Penguins lineup this weekend.

Sullivan, asked after that practice if there was a chance Letang could play, didn’t rule it out.

But Letang has not progressed enough to suit up for the Penguins.

Sullivan said Letang will travel with the Penguins on their upcoming four-game road trip, which starts Tuesday at Carolina. Letang did not travel with the team for its last two road games.

Letang, who has an upperbody injury, got hurt Feb. 23 in Philadelphia.

Kessel keeps it going

By suiting up against the Flyers at PPG Paints Arena, Kessel moved into a tie with Craig Adams, a Penguin from 2009 to 2015, for the most consecutive games played in franchise history with 319.

Sullivan was asked about Kessel’s ironman streak and whether some players have an ability to avoid getting hit — something that, for better or worse, Kessel possesses. He couldn’t help but smirk.

“Yeah, some guys do,” the coach said. “There’s different ways to not get hit.”

When it comes to Kessel, Sullivan said, “I think he moves the puck before the pressure gets to him so it gives him an opportunity to make his next play, or after he moves the puck it gives him an opportunity to jump into space and present himself for maybe a return pass or whatever it may be.”

Kessel hasn’t missed a game since the 2009-10 season, when he played for Toronto. His streak of 765 games in a row is the eighth-longest streak in NHL history and third among active players.

“He’s a gamer,” said James van Riemsdyk, the Flyers winger who was his linemate with the Maple Leafs. “He wants to be ready to go and doing his thing out there. I know he takes a lot of pride in that.”