Penguins' Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin 'feel strong' after returning from injury
The Pittsburgh Penguins held an optional practice Friday afternoon in Cranberry, giving key players some time off after the team clinched its 13th straight playoff berth the night before.
Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang were among the players who did not skate, but coach Mike Sullivan said both made it through their return from injury Thursday night against Detroit without incident.
“They responded fine,” Sullivan said. “They both had good games and they feel strong.”
Malkin was playing his first game since March 16 due to a rib injury. Letang played his fourth game since suffering an upper-body injury Feb. 23.
Defenseman Brian Dumoulin, who is day to day with a lower-body injury, has not resumed skating but is making progress, Sullivan said. Zach Aston-Reese (lower body) and Chad Ruhwedel (upper body) skated Friday but remain out.
The Penguins close out the regular season with a home game against the New York Rangers on Saturday night.
Jonathan Bombulie is the TribLive assistant sports editor. A Greensburg native, he was a hockey reporter for two decades, covering the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for 17 seasons before joining the Trib in 2015 and covering the Penguins for four seasons, including Stanley Cup championships in 2016-17. He can be reached at jbombulie@triblive.com.
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