The Pittsburgh Penguins did battle with their cross-state rival, the Philadelphia Flyers, last night. After a 23-game absence, Evgeni Malkin made his return to the lineup as well. Looking to widen the gap between themselves and the Washington Capitals for first place in the East Division, the flightless birds were off their game from the jump, facing a 4-0 deficit by the end of period two. A third period surge would see the Penguins claw back, but the Flyers played the role of spoiler here, besting the Pens 7-2. [Recap]
On the injury front, yes Evgeni Malkin is back, but defenseman Mike Matheson has been given a week-to-week injury designation by head coach Mike Sullivan, and Brandon Tanev has progressed to a full contact participant in practice.