Evgeni Malkin withheld from Penguins' practice because of illness

Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin continues to recover from an illness which sidelined him for Thursday’s 1-0 overtime home win against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Malkin, who is the fourth member of the roster to be stricken with an undisclosed illness, was withheld from practice in Cranberry on Friday for precautionary reasons.

“He’s feeling a lot better today,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “So we chose to have him stay home for a couple of reasons. We’re trying to keep him away from the group that feels good and give him an opportunity to recovery. Get some food in him. But he’s feeling much better today.”

Sullivan declined to offer a status for Malkin in regards to Saturday’s home game against the Los Angeles Kings.

In 20 games this season, Malkin has 27 points (eight goals, 19 assists).

Notes:

• Forward Nick Bjugstad, sidelined since Nov. 15 due to a core muscle injury, skated prior to practice for the first time since undergoing surgery.

Bjugstad remains on injured reserve along with forwards Sidney Crosby (core muscle), Patric Hornqvist (right knee) and defenseman Brian Dumoulin (left ankle).

• With Malkin absent, assistant coach Mark Recchi filled in on the top line in practice. The team’s lines and pairs were:

Mark Recchi - Jake Guentzel - Bryan Rust

Zach Aston-Reese - Jared McCann - Dominik Kahun

Alex Galchenyuk - Teddy Blueger - Brandon Tanev

Dominik Simon - Sam Lafferty - Stefan Noesen

Kris Letang - John Marino

Jack Johnson - Justin Schultz

Marcus Pettersson - Chad Ruhwedel

Juuso Riikola rotated in with the other defensemen.

• Forward Joseph Blandisi was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.

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