NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The turnout for the Penguins' optional game-day skate Tuesday morning at Bridgestone Arena was pretty much the same as usual.
Eleven players, including both goaltenders and a lot of guys coming off injuries or who tend to log rather limited minutes.
Oh, and one whose reservation at the Hockey Hall of Fame is all but official.
That would be Evgeni Malkin, who has been a fixture at non-mandatory workouts since returning in January from knee major surgery.
While most players who have a heavy workload during games -- Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, Jake Guentzel, etc. -- tend to stay off the ice at optionals to conserve energy, Malkin almost never misses.
And it's hard to argue with his approach, since Malkin has 10 goals and 14 assists in 24 games since rejoining the lineup.
While some observers believe he's been involved in more optionals this season than in the past, Mike Sullivan said Malkin always has been inclined to take part in them.
"My recollection of (Malkin) is that he's always been one who likes to use the morning skate to do what he does," he said. "He's done that a fair amount. There are times, depending on the workload and what our schedule looks like, where he might make different decisions, but he's always been a guy who likes to participate in those."
MORE FROM THE SKATE
• Casey DeSmith will be in goal for the Penguins, while Juuse Saros is scheduled to start for Nashville.
• Sullivan, on the challenges of playing a team such as the Predators that the Penguins haven't faced in several years because of pandemic-related restrictions: "We do our due diligence, behind the scenes, regardless of who our opponent is. Obviously, when you don't see a team as much, you have to do it a little bit more, just because you don't have the familiarity of playing against them a handful of times."
• Sullivan acknowledged that returning to Bridgestone Arena, where the Penguins won their Stanley Cup in 2017, brings back warm memories -- but not for long. "Obviously, when you win a Stanley Cup in a building, those of us who have gone through that experience, there's a certain attachment to that," he said. "It's hard to not let your mind go there for a fleeting moment, and I'm no different. But for me, the operative word is 'fleeting.' "
• In addition to Malkin, participants in the skate were Tristan Jarry, Teddy Blueger, Brian Boyle, Mike Matheson, Dominik Simon, Radim Zohorna, Mark Friedman, Marcus Pettersson, Chad Ruhwedel and DeSmith.
