Malkin’s playing timeout for his season debut at the Penguins Ducks

Yevgeny Malkin is Pittsburgh Penguins playing time at the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday (10pm ET; SNE, SNO, SNP, BSW, ATTSN-PT, ESPN +, NHL LIVE).

The center has not yet played this season after the knee surgery on June 4th. He practiced on the second line on Monday in between Jeff Carter and Kasperi Kapanen, and in the first power unit with Sidney Crosby, Evan Rodrigues, Kris Letang and Jake guentzel.

“I expected at this point that‘ Geno ’would be a game-time decision, but we’re certainly encouraged by his achievement,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “He’s had a lot of preparation, which has taken him to this point. He’s been fully involved in rehearsals. We’ve gotten him little fighting time, 5-5. We’ve got him involved in the top-of-the-line Play unit. He has worked very hard to get to this point. We will evaluate his progress here overnight. We will make a decision tomorrow. “

Malkin began his internship on November 29 and received a contact permit on December 27. Two days later, he said he felt the knee was “better and better” and hoped to play within the next 10 days.

“It looks even better, probably to me,” Kapanen said. “Even today the rehearsals are 2 against 1, there are 3 against 2. I think” Cartsy “also fits in really well with our line. It felt like he had never left. So it was nice to see.

“I think he’s just worked really hard on the ice and beyond. I feel like he’s pretty strong. He’s always been like that, but when he gets on the ice, you can tell he’s just seeing plays you don’t even see. “See you yet. He’s playing for friends to skate in space and get a puck. So like I said, he’s just a great athlete.”

The Penguins (20-9-5) are fourth in the Metropolitan Division. Their NHL season top 10-match winning streak ended in a 3-2 loss to Dallas Stars on Saturday.

Malkin scored 28 points (eight goals, 20 assists) in 33 games last season before being injured by a Boston Bruins defender. Jarred Tinordi March 16. He returned on May 3 and played the last four games of the regular season. He missed the first two games against the New York Islanders in the first round of the Stanley Cup and returned to score five points (one goal, four assists) in four games. The Penguins fell 5-3 in the sixth game in the Best of the Seven.

The 35-year-old said the decision for knee surgery was due to a desire to play for several more seasons in the NHL.

“I want to play for three or four more years, and I don’t want to worry about every match on my knee,” Malkin said on Dec. 29. “Because now my knee is 200 percent stronger.… I know it’s a bit not easy, but I want to play for another three or four years. I feel like I can.”

Malkin has his final season in an eight-year, $ 76 million (average annual value of $ 9.5 million) contract he signed with Pittsburgh on June 13, 2013.

“I’m not thinking about my deal right now,” Malkin said. “I don’t think about money. I’m like a pretty rich guy. I don’t think about money. This is my point: I’ve had a tough half a year. I want to get back to my playing level.

“We have a great team. We have great coaches. I miss hockey so much. I want to enjoy every game.”

The three-time Stanley Cup champion (2009, 2016, 2017) has played 940 matches in Pittsburgh in 16 NHL seasons, second only to teammate Sidney Crosby (1,061). He is third in the history of the Penguins in points (1,104) and assists (680) and fourth in goals (424).

Wes Crosby, an independent correspondent at NHL.com, contributed to this report