Malkin practices, now a 'game-time decision'

WASHINGTON -- Hart Trophy snub aside, it's not every day you see the NHL's fourth-leading scorer toiling on a fourth line.

But there Evgeni Malkin was on Saturday afternoon, practicing right between Zach Aston-Reese and decidedly-fourth-liner Tom Kuhnhackl.

Not that Kuhnhackl minded, of course.

"It's a little different to see him there, but nice to see him on the ice," he said of Malkin. "We'll see how he feels.

"He always looks good. Doesn't matter if he is practicing or it's a game."

After missing the last two games due to an apparent knee injury, Malkin was just happy to be practicing regardless of who his linemates are. Malkin was a full participant in Saturday's 45-minute long session at Capital One Arena, a pretty fair indication that he intends to play in Game 2 against the Capitals tomorrow. Technically, he's a game-time decision, according to Mike Sullivan.

"I feel so much better," Malkin said. "We'll see how I feel tonight, overnight. I can't say right now (if I'm playing), but I feel better."

The Russian resumed his role on the first power play unit but, more interestingly, was skating on a line with Aston-Reese and Kuhnhackl. That, it seems, was just a little bit of gamesmanship from Sullivan. Asked if Malkin was a consideration for grind line duty, Sullivan couldn't contain a broad smile.

"Putting Geno on the fourth line? Probably not," the coach said.

If Malkin plays, it won't be in a glorified cheerleading role, either. Sullivan didn't sound too interested in micromanaging Malkin's minutes or using him only on the power play.

"If we choose to put Geno in the lineup tomorrow night, he's going to play and we're going to try and put him in a position to play to his strengths and be successful," Sullivan said.

Malkin, who hadn't skated in a week after being injured in Game 5 against the Flyers, said his biggest problem on Saturday was his breathing, not his knee. But even at 75 percent, presumably, he's still better than 95 percent of the players in the NHL:

Malkin didn't show any effects of his injury while practicing Saturday. Before he skated off, he had a lengthy conversation with the coaching staff.

Patric Hornqvist, who missed Games 4 and 5 of the first-round series against Philadelphia, predicted that it wouldn't take Malkin long to get back up to speed.

"First few shifts you make sure you play simple out there and get in the game right away with a shift or shot or something like that, after that you just play," he said. "This is the best time of year to be out there, just enjoy every second of it."

Though they are 2-0 without him, getting Malkin back would provide the Penguins with a huge confidence boost as they look to take a 2-0 series lead on the Capitals.

Obviously playing with Malkin would be a treat for Kuhnhackl and Aston-Reese, who didn't muster a shot in Game 1:

But if that's not going to happen, the question becomes where will Sullivan play Malkin?

Most likely, he'll go back to centering the second line with Phil Kessel and Dominik Simon, who has taken over for the injured Carl Hagelin. That would mean that Riley Sheahan will move back down to the fourth line.

"He's an offensive force for us, creates a lot for us," Sheahan said of Malkin. "Would be huge to add that back to our lineup."

• The lines and pairs used Saturday in practice:

Guentzel-Crosby-Hornqvist

Simon-Sheahan-Kessel

Sheary-Brassard-Rust

ZAR-Malkin-Kuhnhackl

Dumoulin-Letang

Maatta-Schultz

Oleksiak-Ruhwedel 

• Malkin didn't sound too disappointed in not being among the three finalists --New Jersey's Taylor Hall, Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon and Los Angeles’ Anze Kopitar -- for the Hart. "So many good players deserve it,' he said. "Tough choice."  He said he'd have picked MacKinnon.

• Hagelin, out with an upper body injury suffered in Game 6 vs. Philadelphia, did not make the trip with the team.

QUOTABLE

"I think we take a lot of pucks to the net and we find those tips and rebounds and things and sometime you get puck luck.  But if you go there, you get more opportunities to score those goals and I think that’s what we're doing right now. We just have to keep trying to go there hard and make sure that our D's get the pucks through." -- Patric Hornqvist, on success of first line with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel.

BY THE NUMBER

13: Players recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to serve as the Penguins' Black Aces during the playoffs (forwards Josh Jooris, Daniel Sprong, Thomas Di Pauli, Adam Johnson, Teddy Blueger, Garrett Wilson and Jean-Sebastien Dea; defensemen Lukas Bengtsson, Chris Summers, Jarred Tinordi and Andrey Pedan; and goaltenders Tristan Jarry and Michael Leighton).

MATT SUNDAY GALLERY