Penguins' Evgeni Malkin Week-to-Week With Upper-Body Injury

Malkin was injured on Saturday in the Penguins' loss to the Blues.

Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Penguins center Evgeni Malkin is week-to-week with an undisclosed upper-body injury, coach Mike Sullivan announced following the team's 2–1 overtime loss to the Flyers on Sunday. 

The Russian star was injured the day before in a loss against the Blues when he was cross-checked by Robert Bortuzzo, who was not penalized for the play. After the hit, Malkin was down on the ice in pain but remained in the game. He did not dress on Sunday and was replaced by Teddy Blueger, who scored the Penguins' lone goal against the Flyers. 

The Penguins labeled Evgeni Malkin's "upper-body" injury as week to week. He took a pretty vicious cross check in the right ribs portion of his upper-body from former teammate Robert Bortuzzo on Saturday: pic.twitter.com/iIuiifLY8s

— Seth Rorabaugh (@SethRorabaugh) March 18, 2019

The news comes less than a week after Malkin scored his 1,000th career point on Tuesday night when Pittsburgh rallied to beat the Capitals. Malkin has 21 goals and 71 points in 66 games this season. 

Malkin's injury adds to an unlucky string for the Penguins, who are playing without two of their top defensemen in Kris Letang and Olli Maatta. Bryan Rust, who was injured in February, returned to the lineup for Pittsburgh on Sunday. 

The Penguins currently sit third in a hotly contested Metropolitan Division, three points ahead of the Hurricanes (who they play on Tuesday) and three points behind the Islanders and Capitals.