The Pittsburgh Penguins have positioned star Evgeni Malkin on injured reserve with an upper-body harm. Malkin has already missed Pittsburgh’s final three video games and can now be pressured out of no less than 4 extra video games. He had beforehand performed in Pittsburgh’s first 41 video games of the season and was red-hot within the winter months. Malkin had seven factors in 9 video games main as much as his harm.
In a corresponding transfer, Pittsburgh has additionally activated Philip Tomasino off of injured reserve, returning him from a four-game absence as a result of a lower-body harm. Tomasino has been one of many brightest spots of Pittsburgh’s middling 12 months. Acquired for a fourth-round choose in a late-November commerce with Nashville, Tomasino has since posted 4 targets and 7 factors in 16 video games with the Penguins — the very best scoring tempo of his profession. He’s appeared correctly alive within the Penguins lineup, filling a much-needed top-six position after 4 up-and-down seasons in Nashville. Tomasino was a first-round draft choose in 2019 and made the bounce right into a full-time NHL position two seasons later. He scored 11 targets and 32 factors in 76 video games as a rookie — a really encouraging begin for the then-20-year-old ahead. However Tomasino struggled to keep up that into his sophomore 12 months, and would solely attain 20 factors yet another time — in 41 video games of the 2023-24 marketing campaign — throughout his time in Nashville.
Malkin’s absence will depart a obvious gap within the Pittsburgh lineup. The long run Corridor-of-Famer has, as soon as once more, been certainly one of Pittsburgh’s most utilized forwards at each even-strength and on the power-play. The necessity for an additional top-unit ahead might pave a golden path for Tomasino upon his return, giving the younger middle yet one more probability to indicate Pittsburgh what he can do with a correct position. Pittsburgh has turned in direction of Anthony Beauvillier to fill the top-six emptiness over the past three video games, although he hasn’t managed any scoring within the boosted position.
In different Penguins information, ahead Michael Bunting may also miss the staff’s Sunday sport after being concerned in a automotive accident exterior PPG Paints Enviornment per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan advised Rorabaugh that Bunting isn’t anticipated to overlook prolonged time. Bunting has been one other red-hot Penguin, with 4 factors in his final 5 video games.
