3 Injured Penguins’ Forwards Skate Before Team Practice Wednesday

The Pittsburgh Penguins are mired in their worst stretch of the 2024-25 season, having lost six consecutive games. There doesn’t seem to be much going their way.

But that could change relatively soon.

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Prior to the Penguins’ full team practice, injured forwards Evgeni Malkin, Blake Lizotte, and Filip Hallander all skated together on the main rink at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, Pa. They didn’t join the team practice, but it is still a sight for sore eyes and signals that they are at least progressing toward a return.

Head coach Dan Muse said that there was no status update on Malkin or Lizotte and that this represented just another day in their recovery process.

“No change of status,” Muse said. “They’ve been out there. This isn’t the first day. They’ve had some opportunities where they can skate a little bit, but no change of status.”

Regardless, the Penguins could sure use at least one of these guys back as soon as possible.

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Since Malkin went on injured reserve (IR), the Penguins are 0-2-4, and they are 0-2-3 without Lizotte. Both centers headed to IR on Dec. 9, and the Penguins have been forced to deploy a rotating cast of characters at the center position.

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At the time of his injury, Malkin was the team’s leading scorer with eight goals and 29 points in 26 games. They are also missing him on the power play, which is now limited on shooting options from the right side of the ice.

They are also missing Lizotte, who is putting together a really solid season for the Penguins. Beyond his three goals and five points, he has been arguably their best defensive forward, logging important minutes in defensive zone starts, on the penalty kill, and in six-on-five situations.

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Hallander – also a center – was placed on long-term injured reserve on Nov. 7 when he was diagnosed with a blood clot, and he was expected to miss approximately three months. He left the lineup with a goal and four points in 13 games on the season.

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