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Penguins' Evgeni Malkin injury update draws Mike Sullivan reaction
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01/28/2025 02:01 AM
It’s no secret how important Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin is to his team. The future Hall of Famer is one of the best players of his generation. And he continues to play at a high level even in the latter stages of his career. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh received a brutal blow regarding Malkin as the Penguins chase a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Malkin will be out week to week with a lower-body injury, head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed on Monday. Pittsburgh is expected to place the future Hall of Famer on injured reserve soon. The Penguins played their first game without Malkin in the wake of this injury on Monday, as well. However, they lost to the San Jose Sharks by the score of 2-1 at the SAP Center at San Jose.
After the loss, Sullivan provided his thoughts on Malkin’s absence from the lineup. “He’s an important player for us," the Penguins bench boss said, via NHL.com. "He’s a top-two center, he’s dynamic with the puck. He’s not an easy guy to replace.”
Penguins drop tightly contested game without Evgeni Malkin
Mike Sullivan and the Penguins began life without Evgeni Malkin against the Sharks. The two teams played a hotly contested game where neither side gave much away. In fact, the first goal didn’t come until around the midway point of the second period.
The Sharks grabbed the lead thanks to former Pittsburgh winger Mikael Granlund. His 15th goal of the season made it a 1-0 game on the road for San Jose. The Sharks kept this lead for the remainder of the middle frame. However, this lead did not remain in San Jose’s possession for long.
The Penguins leveled the game 24 seconds into the third period. Sidney Crosby came through when his team needed him most. His 15th of the season tied the game and gave Pittsburgh new life. Unfortunately, they could not find the game-winning goal. In fact, the game did not remain tied for all that long.
The Sharks received the game-winning marker thanks to first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini. Pittsburgh did everything they could to score and force this game into overtime. But goalie Yaroslavl Askarov stood tall, and ended the game with 29 saves on 30 shots.
The Penguins have hit a significant rough patch. Pittsburgh has lost seven of its last nine games as they begin to slip from Wild Card contention. They will look to avoid a fourth-straight loss on Wednesday when they take on the Utah Hockey Club at the Delta Center.
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