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Malkin missing as Pens visit rival Caps

Feb 6, 2011 - 3:51 PM (Sports Network) - The Pittsburgh Penguins will begin life without Evgeni Malkin today, when they visit the rival Washington Capitals for an afternoon clash at Verizon Center.

The Penguins received bad news yesterday on the knee injury their star centerman suffered Friday night in a 3-2 win against Buffalo. An MRI taken Saturday morning revealed that Malkin has sustained tears to his ACL and MCL, meaning the Russian will likely miss the remainder of the season.

Malkin got hurt in a second-period collision with Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers while the tandem were racing for a loose puck in the corner. He was helped off the ice and into the locker room.

"This is a difficult injury for him. It was kind of a fluke situation going into the boards with a guy. That's a tough injury for Geno," Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma said on Saturday. "We have dealt with games without him. We've managed to find our way without him. That's what we're going to have to look at now."

Bylsma said the team is discussing options with the doctors on the next course of action. Typical recovery time for an ACL tear is 4-to-6 months.

It was a stunning turn of events for the 24-year-old Malkin, who returned to the lineup Friday after missing five games because of a sinus infection and knee problem. Malkin had not played since January 18 against Detroit and also missed the All-Star Game last weekend because of the issue.

The 2009 Conn Smythe Trophy winner has 15 goals and 37 points in 43 games this season.

With the injury to Malkin, the Pens are now hoping they can get captain and superstar centerman Sidney Crosby back on the ice soon. Crosby has missed the last 12 games with a concussion, but still leads Pittsburgh in both goals (32) and points (66) this season.

Crosby has been skating on his own, but there is still no timetable for his return to game action.

Malkin's injury news has somewhat overshadowed today's contest, which is the first meeting between the Pens and Caps since the Winter Classic. Pittsburgh will try to exact revenge for that New Year's Day loss today in D.C.

The Capitals recorded a 3-1 win in Pittsburgh on Jan. 1, as both clubs braved the elements on a rainy night in the Steel City. Eric Fehr notched a pair of goals to lead Washington to the memorable win.

The Winter Classic was played at Heinz Field, home of the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers, of course, will battle the Green Bay Packers tonight at Super Bowl XLV in Dallas.

Pittsburgh and the Caps have split a pair of games this season. Washington has taken five of six and eight of 10 overall in the series and the Pens have dropped three of five in D.C.

Despite all the recent injury problems, the Pens still enter today's contest riding a five-game winning streak. With 72 points on the year, they are also just three points behind Philadelphia for first place in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference.

The Capitals, meanwhile, are 4-1-3 in their last eight games and are coming off Friday's impressive win over the first-place Tampa Bay Lightning. Alex Ovechkin notched a goal and three assists to lead Washington past the Lightning, 5-2, at St. Pete Times Forum.

"It felt like a playoff game out there tonight, even if we were slowing it down," said Nicklas Backstrom, who added two goals and two assists in the win for Washington. "I think it was just our strategy and wins like this are big for us."

The victory pulled the Caps within three points of Tampa for the Southeast lead. Washington is also fifth in the East and six points behind the Pens for the conference's fourth seed.

Semyon Varlamov made 23 saves for the victory and is expected to get the start today. He is 2-0 with a 2.00 goals-against average in his career against the Penguins.

Pittsburgh overcame a two-goal deficit on Friday by scoring three times in the second period. Dustin Jeffrey and Tyler Kennedy also lit the lamp for the Penguins, who have won eight of nine overall.

Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 27-of-29 shots for the win. Fleury is 9-4-2 with a 3.07 GAA in 16 career games against Washington.

Washington is 16-5-7 as the host this season and the Penguins have a 15-6-3 road record.