After notching two assists in Wednesday's 4–2 win over the Lightning, Penguins' center Evgeni Malkin has been ruled out for at least the next two games with an upper-body injury.
“I’m disappointed for him because he had a great game,” Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters prior to Friday's game against Ottawa. “That was a game he could really build on. We’re hopeful this is a short-term thing, and he’ll be right back in our lineup."
In Wednesday's game, aside from surpassing 600 career assists, the center dropped the gloves with 2019 All-Star Steven Stamkos. It is unclear if the injury is related to the fisticuffs.
Coach Sullivan on Malkin: “Right now he’s day-to-day with an upper-body injury. He will not play tonight or this weekend. We are hopeful that this is a short-term thing and he’ll be back in our lineup soon.”
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 1, 2019
The 12-year veteran has 14 goals and a team-leading 41 assists this season but had been playing poorly of late. He was sporting a minus-20 plus/minus rating entering Wednesday's game.
Malkin will now miss the team's back-to-back games against Ottawa Friday night and Saturday in Toronto. Pittsburgh is hoping to have him back against Carolina Feb. 5.