Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin out for Game 1 against Islanders
Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin will not play in Game 1 of his team’s first-round series against the New York Islanders at PPG Paints Arena on Sunday.
Malkin is believed to be laboring with a right knee injury that forced him to miss 23 games during the late stages of the regular season.
Coach Mike Sullivan had previously labeled Malkin, and the entire lineup, as a “game-time decision.”
Malkin’s absence creates a considerable void in the Penguins’ lineup as he typically centers the second line and is a mainstay on the top power-play unit.
Forwards Jeff Carter and Jared McCann are expected to replace him on the second line and power play, respectively.
In 33 games this past regular season, Malkin had 28 points (eight goals, 20 assists).
Notes:
• Returning to the lineup in place of Malkin will be forward Evan Rodrigues. He missed the final five games of the regular season due to a presumed left ankle injury.
Rodrigues is expected to serve as right wing of the third line. In 35 games this past regular season, Rodrigues scored 14 points (seven goals, seven assists). Should he dress, he will be making his postseason debut.
• Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith will miss Game 1 as well. He was sidelined for the final three games of the regular season due to an undisclosed injury.
Reserve goaltender Maxime Lagace will serve as the backup to starter Tristan Jarry. In his lone appearance during the regular season, Lagace earned his first career shutout by making 29 saves during a 1-0 home win against the Buffalo Sabres on May 8.
• The Islanders will start rookie goaltender Ilya Sorokin in place of typical starter Semyon Varlamov. In 22 games this past regular season, Sorokin had a 13-6-3 record, a 2.17 goals against average, a .918 save percentage and three shutouts. In two games against the Penguins, he had a 1-1 record, a 2.78 goals against average, an .862 save percentage and one shutout.
Varlamov, who had missed a handful of practices last week due to an undisclosed ailment, will be scratched. Reserve goaltender Cory Schneider will serve as Sorokin’s backup.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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