CRANBERRY, Pa. — In successive days, Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin has gone from taking a maintenance day Saturday, to day-to-day missing the game on Sunday, and Tuesday the team placed their second leading scorer on injured reserve.
UPDATE: Malkin and Lizotte are out week-to-week, per coach Dan Muse.
In addition to Malkin, the Penguins also placed center Blake Lizotte on IR. Lizotte has been a catalyst for the team this season, leading the fourth line and being the top penalty killer.
To fill those spots, the Penguins recalled Sam Poulin and Danton Heinen from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Poulin played two solid games last month before being returned to WBS. The 6-foot-2, 213-pound forward did not register a point and, after 15 career NHL games, is still looking for his first NHL goal.
The team also recalled Danton Heinen. Heinen did not make the team out of training camp, but has played nine NHL games this season, registering one assist. Based on the morning line rushes, Heinen will center the fourth line, and Poulin will serve as the extra forward.
Some good news for the Penguins was that Rickard Rakell was elevated to full contact, though as Muse noted, “There’s not much contact in the pregame skate.”
Last week, Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas said Rakell would be out for three to four more weeks.
The Penguins will face the Anaheim Ducks Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena. The puck drop is 7:08 p.m.
Categorized: Penguins News
