Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin will miss his team’s road game against the Dallas Stars on Sunday evening due to an undisclosed injury.
Per a release from the team, Malkin is considered day-to-day.
This will be the first game Malkin has missed this season. Typically deployed as center of the second line and on the first power-play unit, Malkin has played in 26 games and is tied for the team lead in scoring with 29 points (eight goals, 21 assists) while averaging 17:30 of ice time per contest.
The team also announced forwards Noel Acciari and Justin Brazeau were activated from injured reserve.
Both players have been designated to injured reserve since Nov. 4 with undisclosed ailments.
Acciari last suited up in a 4-3 road loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 3. Primarily stationed on the right wing of the fourth line and on the penalty kill, Acciari has played in 13 games this season and has recorded three assists while averaging 12:56 of ice time per contest.
Brazeau’s most recent game was a 4-1 road win against the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 30. Despite such a long convalescence, he is the team’s sixth-leading scorer with 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 12 games. Primarily deployed on the right wing of the second line and with the second power-play unit, Brazeau has averaged 13:29 of ice time per contest.
The team made a handful of other transactions on Sunday.
• To make room on the active roster, the Penguins assigned forward Boko Imama to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL).
Imama was recalled to the NHL club on Dec. 1 and appeared in two contests. Deployed as a left winger on the fourth line, he had no points while averaging 7:39 of ice time per contest.
At the AHL level, Imama has primarily skated as a left winger on the fourth line and has posted four points (three goals, one assist) in 19 games.
• Rookie defensemen Harrison Brunicke and Jack St. Ivany were recalled from conditioning assignments with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Brunicke remained part of the active NHL roster during his assignment, while St. Ivany continues to be designated to the season-opening injured non-roster list as a result of a suspected right foot ailment he suffered during a preseason game Oct. 1.
Brunicke has skated in nine NHL games and scored one goal. Largely utilized on the right side of the third defensive pairing, Brunicke has averaged 15:43 of ice time per contest.
During his assignment with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Brunicke primarily skated on the right side of the third pairing and recorded three assists in five games.
The 19-year-old Brunicke is still eligible to play at the junior level. Per NHL rules, players with that eligibility can play up to nine NHL games before the first year of his entry-level contract is tolled.
The Penguins largely kicked the can down the road on that decision with his conditioning assignment. They can delay that matter further by lending Brunicke to Hockey Canada for the upcoming International Ice Hockey Federation’s World Junior Championship tournament. That event is scheduled between Dec. 26 and Jan. 5.
St. Ivany appeared in five games during his assignment. Utilized on the right side of the top pairing, St. Ivany posted five points (one goal, four assists).
Per a team spokesperson, St. Ivany will undergo further evaluation in Pittsburgh over the coming days and is expected to be available for practice.
• Following these transactions, the Penguins now have the NHL maximum of 23 players on the active roster.