CRANBERRY, Pa. -- The news out of Monday's practice at the Lemieux Complex wasn't entirely bad for the Penguins.
Though six players -- Evan Rodrigues, Teddy Blueger, Tristan Jarry, John Marino, Mike Matheson, and Dominik Simon -- were added to the league's COVID protocol list, two players made a significant step toward returning to the lineup.
Bryan Rust and Evgeni Malkin both skated with full contact for the first time since their respective injuries, with Rust working back from a lower-body injury suffered on Nov. 26 and Malkin looking to play his first game of the season after undergoing offseason knee surgery.