Pittsburgh Penguins' Evgeni Malkin To Make Season Debut Tuesday
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA/AP) - It's the words Penguins fans have been waiting for: Geno is back.
Knee surgery in June has left Evgeni Malkin sidelined since, but the Penguins announced he's making his season debut Tuesday night in Anaheim.
GENO'S BACK! @emalkin71geno will make his season debut tonight in Anaheim! pic.twitter.com/OEJShbq2T8
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 11, 2022
Coach Mike Sullivan said Monday that he anticipated the four-time All-Star and 2012 Hart Trophy winner will be a "game-time" decision as Pittsburgh continues its West Coast swing.
Malkin has been skating with his teammates for several weeks and was cleared to start taking contact recently. He was a full participant in practice on Monday and worked with the top power-play unit and centered the second line between Jeff Carter and Kasperi Kapanen.
Malkin had surgery in June, with the team saying he would miss "at least" the first two months of the season. Sullivan stressed Malkin is still in the middle of the team's recovery time frame even with the season now three months old.
The Penguins have thrived even with Malkin out. Pittsburgh currently sits in fourth in the highly competitive Metropolitan Division and had a 10-game winning streak snapped over the weekend in Dallas.
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