Penguins Place Malkin on Injured Reserve

The Pittsburgh Penguins placed veteran center Evgeni Malkin on injured reserve Tuesday with an upper-body injury, sidelining the 39-year-old Russian star for at least the next two games and potentially longer on a week-to-week basis. The announcement came after Malkin missed Sunday's shootout loss to the Dallas Stars, marking a setback for a team off to a stronger-than-expected start in the 2025-26 NHL season.

Malkin last played on December 4 in Pittsburgh's 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he contributed two goals and an assist despite logging just 14 minutes and 58 seconds of ice time, his lowest since late October. He skipped a team practice on December 6, prompting initial concerns, but head coach Dan Muse described the absence as a maintenance day and indicated Malkin would likely return for the Dallas matchup. Instead, the forward sat out that 3-2 defeat, with Muse updating his status to day-to-day with the upper-body issue afterward. The Penguins also placed forward Blake Lizotte on injured reserve with a similar injury; Lizotte has three goals and two assists in 27 games this season.

To bolster the roster, Pittsburgh recalled forwards Danton Heinen and Sam...