The Penguins positioned Evgeni Malkin on injured reserve Monday, per a workforce announcement. He left Saturday’s recreation in opposition to the Kraken within the first interval due to a lower-body damage. The workforce recalled winger Jesse Puljujarvi from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to fill his roster spot.
Malkin appeared to injure his left leg in a collision with Kraken middle Chandler Stephenson at middle ice. He took one shift after the play however departed for the locker room shortly thereafter. The workforce has not issued a timeline for his return.
Any long-term absence from a top-six ahead is probably going a season-ender for the Pens, who’ve gone 3-6-3 since New Yr’s and sit final within the Metropolitan Division with 48 factors. Their above-average offense was the one factor maintaining the membership afloat — solely the Sharks have allowed extra objectives than Pittsburgh’s 185 — and Malkin remains to be an especially necessary contributor with 25 assists and 34 factors via 47 video games.
The all-time nice missed 4 video games with an unrelated upper-body damage earlier this month. Pittsburgh went 1-2-1 throughout that stretch and averaged 2.5 objectives per recreation.
Malkin had been skating in his ordinary second-line middle spot, most not too long ago flanked by Michael Bunting and Philip Tomasino. Puljujarvi received’t slide in there as a direct alternative however is anticipated to see third-line duties whereas Cody Glass slides as much as middle Bunting and Tomasino, PuckPedia initiatives.
Whereas Pittsburgh has 14 forwards on the energetic roster with out Malkin, Blake Lizotte and Bryan Rust are day-to-day with an sickness and a lower-body damage, respectively, and received’t play Monday in opposition to the Sharks.
Puljujarvi, 26, comes again up after being reassigned to WBS almost two weeks to the day. Earlier than his clearing waivers and subsequent demotion, the 2016 fourth total choose had three objectives and 6 assists for 9 factors in 25 video games. He barely performed in December, at one level going a month between video games whereas sitting within the press field.
The massive-bodied Finn logged a aim and two assists with a -2 ranking in a trio of appearances for the Child Pens this month. He’s amongst Pittsburgh’s quickest skaters with a prime pace of twenty-two.66 mph this season, per NHL EDGE.
