Evgeni Malkin has shoulder strain, out 2-3 weeks

by Hooks Orpik on Oct 29, 2009 1:05 PM EDT in 2009-10 injuries

It's minor but still disappointing, Evgeni Malkin will be out of the lineup for the next 2-3 weeks due to a shoulder strain.

Head coach Dan Bylsma announced that forward Evgeni Malkin will miss 2-3 weeks with a shoulder strain. It is not the same injury that kept Malkin out of the lineup during the beginning of the 2006-07 season and the team is being cautious.

"Geno is going to be out of the lineup for a couple of weeks," Bylsma said. "He strained his shoulder about 10 days or so ago. I don’t know the exact day. It is precautionary for the player. We are worried about the safety of the shoulder. A couple weeks of rest and rehab will get that thing healthy so he can get back onto the ice.

Malkin, for his part, was disappointed, but his quote seems to indicate that it's better to let himself heal up now in October and November before the game's get too important in the spring.

"I can play good, but it’s the early season," Malkin said about the injury. "I feel good. It’s not a big problem, and I’m fine. I’ll be watching and supporting the team on the trip. It’ll be fine."

"It’s okay. It’s not the pain. It feels good. It’s because it doesn’t feel comfortable now."

Malkin's played 254 straight regular season games since he missed the first four games of his career in 2006-07 with an unrelated shoulder injury.

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Something in the water over in Russia?

All the Russian tanks are breaking down. AO is next, and I wouldn’t mind him finally being injured.

by Tanger's GoGo Lounge on Oct 29, 2009 1:12 PM EDT reply actions

Hmmmm. I’m too superstitious to wish an injury on anyone—I just want our team to make their opponents cry, that’s all.

"Darling, you say Brooks Orpik 'checked' that guy. He did not 'get under him and put him into the wall'."--Beloved to me, Winter 2007

"Don't beat yourself!"--Darrell Waltrip

by GreenEyedLilo on Oct 29, 2009 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions

Weren’t you saying in an earlier post that he looked like he was dragging a bit? (could’ve sworn that was you). Looks like you were right. Dude’s been injured.

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by FrankD on Oct 29, 2009 3:09 PM EDT up reply actions

I did say something about it looking like he was at half-power a game or so ago, so yeah, probably. This just might be it. He really did look off to me, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

"Darling, you say Brooks Orpik 'checked' that guy. He did not 'get under him and put him into the wall'."--Beloved to me, Winter 2007

"Don't beat yourself!"--Darrell Waltrip

by GreenEyedLilo on Oct 29, 2009 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions

He really did look off to me, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

I agree. Even though Malkin has 14 points the first 12 games, as well as 45 shots on goal (2nd on the team) he really hasn’t looked dominant. He’s had good games here and there, but he hasn’t been “himself” so far, in terms of his last season production and play.

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*not just because we only work for 12 minutes a night

by Hooks Orpik on Oct 29, 2009 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions

Tyler Kennedy’s been ruled out for Friday’s game, expect a call-up soon.

Could be Dustin Jeffrey or Nathan Smith, I don’t expect it’s going to be Caputi or Tangradi.

Pensburgh.com -- it's like the Max Talbot of blogs*

*not just because we only work for 12 minutes a night

by Hooks Orpik on Oct 29, 2009 1:29 PM EDT reply actions

Malkin himself has it right—better now than in the spring, if it has to happen at all. Still, I am suddenly perfectly okay with having to miss the games on Friday and Saturday.

"Darling, you say Brooks Orpik 'checked' that guy. He did not 'get under him and put him into the wall'."--Beloved to me, Winter 2007

"Don't beat yourself!"--Darrell Waltrip

by GreenEyedLilo on Oct 29, 2009 1:34 PM EDT reply actions

Start an investigation....

I think Team Russia is holding illegal practices…Markov, Gonch, Kovy, now Geno…fishy fishy.

by Tanger's GoGo Lounge on Oct 29, 2009 1:35 PM EDT reply actions

Better

to let it heal than force it into a worsening condition, but sux tho

by CGNC on Oct 29, 2009 1:42 PM EDT reply actions

Yeah that’s the big thing. Sounded like Malkin wanted to keep playing but better to let him heal up.

Really I bet they just leave him at home for the California trip and he can rehab it and be about as good as new when the team returns from the west coast.

Pensburgh.com -- it's like the Max Talbot of blogs*

*not just because we only work for 12 minutes a night

by Hooks Orpik on Oct 29, 2009 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Well, that sucks

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by FrankD on Oct 29, 2009 2:43 PM EDT reply actions

no wonder he stunk up the joint last night

Scoring just one point when Sid and Kunitz, and all those other guys were racking up multi point nights. I guess he had an excuse...

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by ahtrap on Oct 29, 2009 2:58 PM EDT reply actions

wow, that so did not work

Official BYB Juju Consultant...now accepting rally creature applications!

by ahtrap on Oct 29, 2009 2:59 PM EDT up reply actions

What were ya trying to do that didn’t work?

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by FrankD on Oct 29, 2009 3:02 PM EDT up reply actions

it was supposed to read

“scoring just one point while Sid and Kunitz and all those other guys were racking up multi point nights. I guess he had an excuse”

except with ampersamps (sp?) around it, what some SBN users call the sarcasm font (grey background as seen above). Not sure what caused the disappearing act.

to the al

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by ahtrap on Oct 29, 2009 3:02 PM EDT up reply actions

the "to the al" part was as I typed it

tried to recreate the ampersamp (comment ending in al)ampersamp to see if I could get it to disappear, but apparently, that isn’t the trick.

Official BYB Juju Consultant...now accepting rally creature applications!

by ahtrap on Oct 29, 2009 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions

haha there are some symbols that do different things in the SBN comment system. Frankly I don’t even have them all down but with randomly post a bullet point or indent a sentence every now and then.

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by FrankD on Oct 29, 2009 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions

I never realized how much I used my shoulder or bumped it into things until I dislocated it…all four times.

by PensFan024 on Oct 29, 2009 3:03 PM EDT reply actions

ouch

Doing what, wrestling?

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by ahtrap on Oct 29, 2009 3:04 PM EDT up reply actions

1-Motorcycle
2-Deck Hockey
3-Basketball
4-Strangely enough carrying drywall

by PensFan024 on Oct 29, 2009 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions

First time only makes it worse for the next time, and the next time…

I dislocated my left shoulder playing baseball when a huge beer keg of a player decided to try and run me over when I played catcher (he also gave me a concussion on the same play). Then later that year I was hit by a pitcher on the shoulder (put it up to block my face thankfully) and my shoulder popped out, but when I fell and landed right ON the shoulder it popped back in. I could’ve died from the pain at that point…

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by FrankD on Oct 29, 2009 3:07 PM EDT up reply actions

So let me get this all straight here.

Based on speculation from various reports:

Kennedy is kinda sorta injured
Kunitz is kinda sorta injured
Dupuis is kinda sorta injured

Based on confirmed reports:

Gonchar is injured
Malkin is injured
Talbot is still injured

Did I get that all?

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by FrankD on Oct 29, 2009 3:26 PM EDT reply actions

I think Dupuis had the real flu. He said his kids were sick.

Sometimes teams say players have a “flu” which could mean they have a minor injury, but given that it was reported a couple times, plus the player himself talked about his kids, I doubt they were outright carrying on a lie.

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*not just because we only work for 12 minutes a night

by Hooks Orpik on Oct 29, 2009 3:35 PM EDT up reply actions

ouch

Oh well, if he has to sit some games I’d much rather it happen in Oct/Nov. And this is really only a handful of games. Although it does make me reconsider paying to see the Pens here in a couple weeks.

As well as the team’s playing right now, I have a feeling he’ll be missed.

P is for Latrobe.

by holiday park on Oct 29, 2009 3:38 PM EDT reply actions

Yeah, now we’re looking at not only Staal sliding up to the 2nd line but also joined by Matt Cooke or Pascal Dupuis filling out that line.

It’s easier to get away with playing a guy like Dupuis in a Top 6 forward role when there’s a scoring champion on his line. The Pens won’t have that luxury.

To be honest, I almost expect Malkin will return on November 10th at home against Boston (which means out for 5 games). Basically I think Bylsma just said “look, you’re banged up, no sense in going on the California trip next week or playing 2 games in 2 nights coming up….Stay behind, rehab it and heal up and you’ll be back in no time.”

It’s still gonna be a struggle to manufacture goals in the mean time though. Very important for the first line, and on the young defensemen Goligoski and Letang to keep up the good work.

Pensburgh.com -- it's like the Max Talbot of blogs*

*not just because we only work for 12 minutes a night

by Hooks Orpik on Oct 29, 2009 3:56 PM EDT up reply actions

This is one of the reasons I was so against Trading Staal last year. With Malkin out the Pens still have a legitimate #2 center to take his place.

by PensFan024 on Oct 29, 2009 4:17 PM EDT up reply actions

You’ve been right on many occasions before and this is just another one of those times. Props.

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by FrankD on Oct 29, 2009 4:27 PM EDT up reply actions

Good point. Hopefully Jordy can really step up given this opportunity for second-line minutes.

P is for Latrobe.

by holiday park on Oct 30, 2009 10:01 AM EDT up reply actions

This is probably one of those things that Bylsma will treat as an opportunity. He’ll get the chance to mix up PP combinations, try out guys in different roles, see how Staal responds to extra minutes, etc. Personally, I’d enjoy seeing Fedotenko move up to the top line and a revival of the Staal-Kunitz combo that looked so good when Kuni was first acquired. Early-season is the time for experiments like that, and honestly the Pens can afford to drop a few games in Nov if the changes don’t work.

But yeah, definitely better for Geno to heal up now, rather than risk really damaging the shoulder.

P is for Latrobe.

by holiday park on Oct 30, 2009 10:07 AM EDT up reply actions

I think this will be Staal’s chance to make a case for being on the #1 PP occasionally. I know its tough to put 3 centers out there at the same time(when everyone is healthy) but I would love to see Staal find his game in front of the net on the powerplay. hes so tall and strong he could be a beast in front of the net just hasn’t got much time in games there. I think they will give him a real look there until Geno is back and see what happens.
Holiday park: After a game like the Montreal game theres no way you break up the 1st line. If after a few games their not getting any production other than the first line then maybe i could see Staal and Kunitz reunited but not until then.

by genomachine-O on Oct 30, 2009 10:48 AM EDT reply actions

someone mentioned on Mark Madden yesterday that Rupp might be a good choice in front of the net. It might be worth a looksee.

by PensFan024 on Oct 30, 2009 11:16 AM EDT up reply actions

Yea I think a big body there would definetly help, whether its Rupp or Staal or whoever. Don’t get me wrong Guerin has done some good things in front of the net, but if you can use a guy thats 6’-4"-6’-5" I that will cause some more problems for the D and the goalie. I think Guerin being a right handed shot could be used a lot more efffectively too. With Sid (while Genos out) on the half board you would thing that Guerin would slide out towards the right circle for the one timer a little more. They like to get it to Geno near the top of the circle for the one timer but i think guerin could work just as well sliding into the gap between the forwards and D on that right side.

by genomachine-O on Oct 30, 2009 12:08 PM EDT up reply actions

Oh yeah, breaking up that first line longer-term is not a good idea. My point was just that this is a good chance to get a look at some new combinations that maybe haven’t been tried in real games before, and it’s a good time of year to do so.

P is for Latrobe.

by holiday park on Oct 30, 2009 12:16 PM EDT up reply actions