The Pittsburgh Penguins announced today that veteran center Evgeni Malkin and defenseman Kris Letang both will not practice today. The club did not divulge any additional details as to why the pair will not practice, only adding that “their statuses will be updated tomorrow.” According to Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Malkin “has been laboring with an apparent shoulder injury since December,” something that could be the source of his absence today. As for Letang, there is no indication as to if he is injured, but Rorabaugh noted he “had some struggles” during the team’s win Thursday over the Chicago Blackhawks.
Both Malkin and Letang have been pillars of the Penguins franchise for the last two decades, though their contributions have, to varying degrees, declined as they’ve gotten deeper into their thirties. Malkin, 39, is having a vintage season with 41 points in 39 games, but Letang, 38, has struggled and is no longer widely considered Pittsburgh’s best blueliner. Any extended absence faced by the two of them would deal a blow to the Penguins’ ability to hold onto their current position in the standings, which is second in the Metropolitan Division.
Other injury notes from around the NHL:
- Ottawa Senators center Stephen Halliday missed the team’s game against the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 28 due to an upper-body injury, and was classified as day-to-day. Today, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reported that Halliday was at Senators practice, albeit in a non-contact jersey. That would appear to indicate that Halliday is working his way back, but still has some way to go before he’s fully ready to return to head coach Travis Green’s lineup. Halliday, 23, has 10 points in 21 NHL games for the Senators this season, and 26 points in 22 AHL games.
- New Jersey Devils center Cody Glass will travel with the team on their upcoming road trip to Ottawa, per team reporter Amanda Stein. Glass missed the Devils’ game Thursday against the Nashville Predators with an undisclosed injury. The 26-year-old has carved out a steady role in the middle of the Devils lineup and has scored 13 goals and 18 points in 42 games so far this year.
Malkin would be a blow, but an extended absense from Letang would be an improvement to the Pens lineup at this point. I would love to see him spend some time on IR and give Shea more ice time.
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