Malkin and Letang are not ready to return

Evgeni Malkin will miss his seventh straight game tonight, while Kris Letang sits for his second consecutive.

Malkin is dealing with a shoulder injury that he suffered back on March 9th, when he was hit hard by Maple Leafs forward James van Riemsdyk. He had practiced earlier in the week and he was aiming for tonight to make his return to the Penguins lineup. Malkin filled in for Matt Cooke at Penguins practice this morning, but didn’t take his spot back on the second line or number-1 power-play unit, so he will not play tonight. 

As for Letang who also will not play, has a groin injury that he suffered in practice last week. He also practiced this morning but was on the fourth defense-pairing with Robert Bortuzzo. Even though Letang has missed the last two games he still leads all NHL defenseman in points with 28 (three goals, 25 assists).

According to Dave Molinari, both Malkin and Letang stayed on the ice for about 45 minutes after the rest of the Penguins had finished practicing. Pittsburgh take to the road tonight when they face the New York Islanders on Long Island. They look to continue their winning streak to 11 despite not having Malkin and Letang in the lineup.

The Penguins next game after tonight is on Sunday at home versus Philadelphia, which is always a spirited contest. Monitor the statuses of both Malkin and Letang to see if they will be available for the battle of Pennsylvania. As you likely already know, if either plays they are must-starts in all formats and should be inserted into your lineup immediately.