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Penguins Notebook: Malkin skates again but return is not set
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Penguins star Evgeni Malkin skated again Thursday without any concussion-related symptoms.
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RALEIGH, N.C. -- Coach Dan Bylsma said the Penguins don't have a timetable for Evgeni Malkin to resume practicing with them, let alone return to the lineup.
All the evidence so far, however, suggests that Malkin is recovering quite nicely from the concussion he got a week ago tonight.
Malkin, who did not accompany the Penguins on the three-game road trip that included a visit to Carolina Thursday night, skated for the second day in a row Thursday.
The most significant thing about the time he spent on the ice at Southpointe might be that it proved he did not experience any concussion-related symptoms after skating the previous day. Nonetheless, if the Penguins have a target date for Malkin to get involved in practices or games, they aren't letting on.
"I don't know what the steps are in the next few days," Bylsma said. "I've put no timeline on any type of schedule for him, at this point in time, as far as resuming to practice."
Bittersweet trade
It's no secret that Jordan Staal is thrilled to be playing on the same team as his older brother, Carolina captain Eric Staal.
"To play with your brother at this level is a dream come true," Jordan Staal said after the Hurricanes' game-day skate Thursday.
Well, it turns out that his brother is pretty pleased about it, too. Seems Jordan isn't that annoying kid brother who tries to hang out with his older sibling's buddies, just because it makes him feel cool.
"He's actually fit in really nice," Eric Staal said. "It's been pretty cool to have him around just to talk about our team, our situations, night in and night out.
"It's hopefully going to be for a lot of years, and we can continue to develop something very good here."
Nonetheless, Eric Staal has an obvious affection for center Brandon Sutter, acquired by the Penguins in the deal that sent Jordan Staal to Carolina.
"I was ecstatic to have Jordan come to live here, but to lose Brandon was tough," Eric Staal said. "He's a good player. He's grown up here in this organization and right beside me in the [locker] room.
"He was the first one I texted after [the trade] happened. There was a little bit of a downer on that side of it, but he seems to be fitting in fine [with the Penguins]. I'm excited for him with the opportunity that he has."
It's all perspective
Question: Going into the game Thursday night, who led the all-time series between the Penguins and the Carolina/Hartford franchise?
Answer: Whoever you wanted to.
From the Penguins' perspective, they started the evening with a 57-50-15 record.
Carolina, meanwhile, saw itself with a 54-52-15-1 advantage.
And they were both correct.
No mystery about any of it, either. It simply reflects how, in the NHL, all victories are treated as equal, but regulation losses are listed separately from those absorbed in overtime or shootouts.
Boychuk still sits
Zach Boychuk's day started in a strange way.
It ended, however, in a manner than has become all too familiar to him.
After walking into PNC Arena Thursday morning, Boychuk turned left toward the visitors locker room, not right toward the Hurricanes quarters, where he had spent significant time before the Penguins claimed him off waivers earlier this season.
"You're so used to walking right to that [home] dressing room," he said.
But when the Penguins' game-day skate ended, Boychuk, as usual, stayed on the ice for extra work. And, when the game began, he was a healthy scratch for the seventh game in a row.
Although Bylsma said that rejoining the lineup is "not something that's maybe in his control right now," Boychuk, who does not have a point in seven games with the Penguins, said he believes he can reclaim a spot.
"I just have to keep working hard," he said.
"I'm just waiting for my opportunity and looking forward to showing what I can do."
First Published March 1, 2013 12:00 am
