Evgeni Malkin has an upper-body injury and won’t play Friday against the Ottawa Senators or Saturday night in Toronto, Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said.
Sullivan said Malkin’s status is day-to-day.
Malkin was injured Wednesday when he recorded two assists in the 4-2 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning. It was the first time he recorded multiple points in a game since Jan. 11.
“I’m disappointed for him because he had a great game,” Sullivan said. “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.
“But certainly the fact that he had as strong a game the other night is encouraging.”
Malkin’s assists gave him 601 for his career, making him the 89th NHL player – and only the fourth born in Russia — to do so. Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby and Jaromir Jagr are the only Penguins to reach that milestone.
Malkin’s next milestone is 1,000 career points. He has 985.
Jerry DiPaola is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jerry at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.
