Penguins' Evgeni Malkin Out at Least Next 2 Games with Upper-Body Injury

Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin is "day to day" with an upper-body injury, per head coach Mike Sullivan. 

"He will not play [Friday night] or this weekend," Sullivan said. "We are hopeful that this is a short-term thing and he’ll be back in our lineup soon.” 

The 32-year-old has established himself as one of the NHL's most dynamic offensive threats for more than a decade. His 930 points from his 2006-07 debut campaign through last season ranked third in the league over that span behind only the Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin and Pens teammate Sidney Crosby.

Injuries are one of the few things that have held Malkin back at times throughout his career. After missing just four games over his first three seasons, he's reached the 75-game plateau just twice over the past nine years. He did appear in 78 contests last season, though.

All told, the Penguins have adapted to playing without Malkin in the past, and they should have enough high-end scoring talent to make up for any type of short-term absence. An extended stint on injured reserve would be tougher to overcome for the Stanley Cup hopefuls.