Penguins' Evgeni Malkin in COVID-19 protocol, doubtful to face Bruins on Tuesday

The Pittsburgh Penguins were one of the hottest teams in the NHL from early December through last month and won six consecutive January games before hitting somewhat of a swoon. Pittsburgh dropped four straight (0-1-3) coming off that winning streak and heading into last week's All-Star break, and the Pens shared additional bad news with fans ahead of Tuesday's matchup at the Boston Bruins. 

According to the NHL's website, the Penguins placed superstar forward Evgeni Malkin in the COVID-19 protocol on Monday. That designation makes it doubtful he'll be available for Tuesday's clash. The Penguins are at the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, and Malkin's status for that game may not be known until later in the week. 

As noted by ESPN stats, Malkin only made his 2021-22 season debut on Jan. 11 after he was sidelined due to offseason knee surgery. The 35-year-old is currently in the middle of a nine-game point streak and has five goals and eight assists across his 12 contests during the current campaign. 

In corresponding roster moves, Pittsburgh recalled forwards Michael Chaput and Valtteri Puustinen from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League. 

The Penguins began Monday third in the Metropolitan Division standings with 62 points but are just two points back of both the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes.