Evgeni Malkin Injury: Updates on Penguins Center's Status

Evgeni Malkin has become the latest player who will be forced to miss some time for the Pittsburgh Penguins this season. Although his injury isn’t as serious as those his teammates sufferd during the season, he has still missed game action.

UPDATE: Tuesday, April 23. at 5:38 p.m. ET by Tom Kinslow

Good news for the Penguins, as Evgeni Malkin will return to the lineup tonight against Buffalo per the team's official Twitter account.

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UPDATE: Wednesday, April 17. at 7:15 p.m. ET by Sam Westmoreland

 We suspected this would be the case this morning, and Shelley Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette confirms that Evgeni Malking will be out of tonight's clash with the Canadiens.  

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UPDATE: Wednesday, Apr. 17, at 11:37 a.m. ET by Tom Kinslow

As expected, Evgeni Malkin will not play tonight as the Penguins take on the Canadiens, per Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, Apr. 16, at 9:42 a.m. ET by Brandon Galvin

Disappointing news for Penguins fans as Evgeni Malkin (shoulder) is highly questionable for tomorrow's game, according to Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Rob Rossi.

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Blame a right shoulder that has bothered him since March 9 when a hard hit from Toronto's James van Riemsdyk forced Malkin out of the Penguins' lineup.

Malkin has played in seven games since, and though he practiced with the Penguins on Monday, he feels he's less than a 50-50 bet to play when Montreal visits Consol Energy Center on Wednesday.

"

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UPDATE: Monday, Apr. 15, at 12:51 p.m. ET by Brandon Galvin

Great news for Penguins fans as Evgeni Malkin is progressing well and could return to action on Wednesday, the team announced this afternoon.

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#Pens Malkin said he feels good, hopes to play vs. Wednesday vs. Montreal. "We have time, two days, before the game."

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 15, 2013"

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The Penguins' official Twitter feed originally reported Malkin would not be available for the Saturday game against the Florida Panthers due to an undisclosed upper body injury.

Before Penguins fans get too riled up, it’s worth mentioning that Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that severe sunburn could be the culprit for Malkin’s missed start.

The Penguins just can't seem to shake the injury bug this season. Malkin joins James Neal, Kris Letang and Sidney Crosby as players who have been sidelined for the Eastern Conference's top team. Despite the injury issues, the Penguins are still 31-10 on the season.

With Neal and Crosby out of the lineup, Pittsburgh can’t afford to lose Malkin for an extended period of time. They have been successful this season thanks to the league’s highest scoring attack at 3.3 goals per game.

Malkin has been a steady force for the Penguins all season. In 28 games, he has 29 points including eight goals and 21 assists. Malkin is in his seventh season with the Penguins.

He finished the 2012 season with 109 points on 50 goals and 59 assists in 79 games. Fortunately, it appears that the Penguins will be getting their center back soon.

Don’t forget to continue to check this page for the latest updates on Malkin's status as information becomes available.