Malkin and Bjugstad out “long-term” after suffering injuries over the weekend.

Some big names missing for the Penguins.

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HockeyFeed
Published 4 years ago
Malkin and Bjugstad out “long-term” after suffering injuries over the weekend.
Daniel Lea/CSM/Zuma

This can only be bad news for the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

On Monday morning the Penguins hit the ice for a routine practice following their big victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, a game they dominated with a score of 7 - 2. Unfortunately for the Penguins however some of the after effects of that game were also readily apparent at practice on Monday when two of the organization's core players were noticeably absent from the ice. 

According to a report from Pittsburgh Penguins insider Dave Molinari both centers Evgeni Malkin and Nick Bjugstad were missing on Monday and that does not bode well for the Penguins. Both men left the game against the Blue Jackets with apparent injuries and now their status for the Penguins upcoming game on Tuesday, when the Penguins will welcome the Winnipeg Jets to PPG Paints Arena, is up in the air. 

It is unclear exactly how Bjugstad was injured but we do know that he would leave the game at some point during the third period of the contest, at this time the nature of his injury remains undisclosed. Perhaps we will know more following the practice today as head coach Mike Sullivan is expected to provide some form of update on the status of both of the missing players from today's practice. 

The source of Malkin's injury on the other hand is much more clear. During the game Malkin tripped over fellow Penguins teammate Kris Letang while in the neutral zone, a fall that left him down on one knee as he continued to try and play the puck, and he was subsequently hit by Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov in an awkward collision along the boards. It was obvious that Malkin was in immediate discomfort although he did appear to clutch at his leg briefly after the hit it is unclear at this time whether or not that is currently the injury that is keeping Malkin off the ice at the moment. 

As stated we may hear more from the Penguins head coach at some point later today regarding the status of both injured players, so stay tuned for any updates as we will bring them to you as soon as they become available. 

Update: Penguins inside scoop is now reporting these as long term injuries for both players, this is devastating news for the Penguins.


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