Pittsburgh Penguins forwards Evgeni Malkin and Carl Hagelin both missed practice on Wednesday and will not suit up for Game One against the Washington Capitals.
“I don’t think either one of them will play,” Pierre McGuire said to Pittsburgh’s 93.7 The Fan Wednesday morning.
Later, Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed the news. Both players will be out of the lineup Thursday night.
Coach Sullivan: “Malkin will make the trip with the team to Washington, Hagelin will not. Neither will play in Game 1."
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 25, 2018
Malkin and Hagelin did however skate before practice on Wednesday.
Coach Sullivan on Hagelin and Malkin’s status: “They both skated this morning before the team."
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 25, 2018
Via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Jason Mackey, it was the fifth day in a row Malkin has not practiced with the team and the third straight day for Hagelin.
Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan previously classified both players as day-to-day on Tuesday.
Sullivan says Malkin and Hagelin are “day to day.”
— Josh Yohe (@JoshYohe_PGH) April 24, 2018
Malkin is currently nursing a lower-body injury after Jori Lehterä fell on his leg. The Russian superstar did not play in the team’s clinching Game Six win against the Flyers, Sunday.
Malkin hurt after Lehtera falls on his leg pic.twitter.com/ZRZMVD3fNX
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 20, 2018
Meanwhile Hagelin has an upper-body injury. He left Game Six with the injury, after suffering a hard hit from Flyers forward Claude Giroux.
Giroux hit on Hagelin… clean or dirty? pic.twitter.com/foMsBZV2DD
— The Hockey Hangout (@HockeyHangout) April 22, 2018
The Penguins forwards lined up like this during practice.
Penguins lines/pairs:
Guentzel-Crosby-Hornqvist
Simon-Sheahan-Kessel
Sheary-Brassard-Rust
ZAR-Rowney-KuhnhacklDumoulin-Letang
Maatta-Schultz
Oleksiak-Ruhwedel
Hunwick-Gonchar— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) April 25, 2018
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