BOSTON -- Penguins All-Star center Evgeni Malkin described his status as "day to day" yesterday after he participated with the team in its morning skate at TD Garden. Malkin, still wearing a red, non-contact jersey, had been joining the team at the end of practice, but this time he came out at the beginning with everyone else and remained out for an extra half-hour.

"I'm still working. It feels better," he said of his strained right shoulder. "I'm closer, day to day."

He took part in some of the drills and, toward the end of the skate, had teammates set him for slap shots. The injury is to his non-shooting shoulder.

"It was my first hard practice," Malkin said. "[Today,] I'll skate just as hard and I hope it goes as well."

Penguins coach Dan Bylsma feared things would be worse when the extent of the injury to defenseman Kris Letang was learned. A dislocation or separation would have meant significant time off.

The team found out Monday that Letang, hurt Saturday in the first period of the Penguins' 5-0 loss at San Jose when he fell hard on his right side, will miss two weeks because of a shoulder contusion.

"Going to the net and falling by himself trying to get to the rebound, then coming up with the situation he was in, seeing him in a sling, didn't necessarily make you feel good about the prognosis for what the injury was," Bylsma said. "But it turns out it was the best we could hope for."

Letang, who missed his first game last night against the Bruins, had a goal and six assists through 17 games.

Playing in the NHL is still a new experience for Penguins rookie winger Chris Bourque. The game against the Bruins last night was particularly special.

His 10th game in the league came in his hometown and where his father, Hall of Fame defenseman Raymond Bourque, played for more than 20 years.

"It's definitely awesome coming back to my hometown and playing in the town where my dad played for so many years," said the younger Bourque, who got to go home for a visit with his family Monday after the Penguins practiced at Boston University.

He was expecting upward of 40 family and friends at the game, including his father.

Asked what he learned most from Raymond, Chris said, "You've got to try to stay consistent every day. That's what he told me. That's what I had to learn.

"I think I can swear by that. You look at a guy like [Penguins center] Sidney Crosby, he brings it every day no matter what. He's usually going to be the best player on the ice, but he's always working hard."

Well-traveled former Penguins winger Mark Recchi helped the Penguins win their first Stanley Cup in 1991 and, in his second stint with the team a couple seasons ago, saw some of the development that led to a third Cup in June.

Although he was disappointed his current team, Boston, was upset in the second round by Carolina after winning the regular-season Eastern Conference title, Recchi watched the Penguins' run with great interest.

"Loved it. It was great. I knew they had it in them," Recchi gushed. "They're great kids and great guys. They deserved it. They stuck with it and got on a good roll. I was happy for them. We're such good friends."

Penguins president David Morehouse was released from a San Jose, Calif., hospital yesterday and is expected to travel home to Pittsburgh tomorrow. Morehouse had a heart attack Sunday morning as the team prepared to fly out of San Jose and was treated with a minor procedure.

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