CRANBERRY TWP, PA (93.7 The Fan) – As the Pens enter into back-to-back games with Eastern Conference playoff contenders, including the Islanders a point ahead of them in the Metropolitan Division Monday, they got a pair of Hall of Famers back to a full practice.
Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin each went through full work on Sunday, including the limited contact they had during a roughly 25-minute practice, that included a lot of work before and after team drills at the UPMC Lemieux Facility in Cranberry Township.
“It’s nice to get out there with the guys and see how everything felt,” Crosby said. “That’s how I’m taking it.”
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No commitment to Crosby playing, but head coach Dan Muse confirmed he will make the one-game trip to New York and Malkin might as well, although whether Evgeni comes is still a question.
“Very encouraging, whether they will play or not, I don’t know,” said defenseman Erik Karlsson. “That they are out there grinding away trying to keep up the speed and saying in it for when they are ready to return is a very positive thing. Eventually we will need them back, if we want to go where we want to go.”
“We miss them when they are not in and hopefully they are back next game,” said defenseman Connor Clifton. “That being said, I don’t have any intel on that, but they looked good. We have nine big ones left.”
Currently a point ahead in second place in an ever-tightening playoff race, the Pens captain wants to be back after suffering a lower-body injury Thursday which he declined to say if it was related to the injury at the Olympics.
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Whether this statement is a signal for what will happen Monday at the Islanders or not, Crosby said this about the magnitude of the games right now.
“They are all important at this point,” Crosby said. “It’s a big race and a big stretch for us. As a player, these are the ones you want to be in. These are big games.”
