After a long month, it appears that Pittsburgh Penguins are about to welcome one of their best players back into the lineup.
For the first time since going on injured reserve on Dec. 9, center Evgeni Malkin skated at full capacity with the team on Tuesday. Malkin, 39, has missed the last 15 games with an upper body injury, which he said was a shoulder injury after practice.
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His last match took place on December 4 against the Tampa Bay Lightningwhen he scored two goals and three points. Malkin has eight goals and 29 points in 26 games this season.
“It’s crazy, because I don’t feel any pain after the game, but the next morning I wake up and, like my upper body, it’s like I can’t move my shoulder,” Malkin said. “It’s crazy.”
The addition of Malkin to the roster should strengthen a group already in turmoil which has won five consecutive matches since the holidays. Before an unlucky injury for the Penguins, Malkin was skating on a line with Justin Brazeau and Anthony Mantha, and they had a lot of success as a line.
Tommy Novak centered this second line, where Malkin should return. His return could lead to some tough roster decisions, but it’s a good problem for the Penguins.
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“I think it was a good step in the right direction to have him there,” head coach Dan Muse said. “A full-fledged practice, it looked good, I had another day of practice tomorrow… So we’ll continue to have conversations, but it was a good day for him.”
Malkin said he hoped to play this week, but Muse did not offer a specific timetable for his return to the lineup. The Penguins will then play New Jersey Devils THURSDAY.
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– Unfortunately, another player may have been injured during training.
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After a collision with a teammate, forward Rutger McGroarty left the ice and was attended to by coaches, and he did not return to practice. Muse was unable to offer an update on McGroarty after practice.
McGroarty has two goals and three points in 16 games this season.
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– Tuesday’s practice was optional as Sidney Crosby, Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, Yegor Chinakhov, Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang were absent.
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– A decision looms on rookie defenseman Harrison Brunicke, who returns to Pittsburgh after helping Canada win a bronze medal at the World Junior Championship.
Brunicke, 19, cannot play in the LAH this season and played nine games in the NHL, meaning his entry-level contract was not activated. However, another deadline looms, as January 31 would mark 40 games in which Brunicke would be on the active NHL roster.
If Brunicke remains on the roster beyond this game, the Penguins will lose a year of restricted free agency and, therefore, control of the team. The Penguins are expected to decide in the coming days whether or not he will spend the remainder of the season with the team. WHL.
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