Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin 'was not 100%' during playoffs

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan shed some light on the injuries his team was dealing with during its first-round playoff series with the New York Islanders.

Forward Evgeni Malkin missed the first two games of the series with a right knee injury. It was the first time the team publicly identified the nature of Malkin’s ailment.

“(Malkin) was dealing with a knee injury that he fought really hard to get back (from) to get back into our lineup,” Sullivan said via video conference. “He was not 100%. I think I’m probably stating the obviously when I’m saying that. But he fought really hard to get back into the lineup to help us now. He’s continuing to be evaluated right now.”

During a 2-1 home loss to the Boston Bruins on March 16, Malkin was hit by Bruins defenseman Jarred Tinordi. During the sequence, their right knees collided.

Malkin missed the next 23 games as a result of the ailment but was able to skate in the final four games of the regular season.

During the regular-season finale, a 1-0 home win against the Buffalo Sabres on May 8, Malkin appeared to aggravate his injury when Sabres forward Dylan Cozens checked him, with Malkin’s right knee bearing the brunt of contact.

Despite not being at full strength, Malkin had a productive series against the Islanders, as he was tied for second on the team in scoring with five points (one goal, four assists) in five games.

Sullivan also revealed the nature of backup goaltender Casey DeSmith’s injury that forced him to be scratched for the entire series.

“Casey was dealing with a soft tissue groin injury, which is not an easy injury from a goaltending standpoint,” Sullivan said. “That’s why he was unavailable for the playoffs.”

DeSmith was initially injured during a 7-2 road loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on May 3, DeSmith left the game. He missed the final three contests of the regular season as well as all six postseason games.

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