Penguins star Evgeni Malkin game-time decision Tuesday at Ducks

Back in late December, Pittsburgh Penguins star center Evgeni Malkin suggested that he could make his season debut during the club's current road trip after he missed the first few months of action while recovering from offseason knee surgery he had in June. 

Per Wes Crosby of the NHL's website, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan told reporters Monday the club is "certainly encouraged with the progress" Malkin has made and that the 35-year-old is a game-time decision for Tuesday's matchup at the Anaheim Ducks. 

"He's had a lot of preparation that's gotten him to this point," Sullivan added about Malkin. "He's had a fair amount of full participation in practice. We've gotten him some scrimmage time, 5-on-5. We've gotten him involved with the top power-play unit. So we've tried to check all the boxes as far as his preparation process. He's worked extremely hard to get himself to this point. We'll evaluate his progress here overnight. We'll make a decision tomorrow."

Malkin returned to the practice ice to skate with teammates on Nov. 29 and has been cleared for contact since Dec. 27. Without his services, the Penguins recently enjoyed a 10-game winning streak that ended with Saturday's 3-2 defeat at the Dallas Stars that dropped Pittsburgh to 20-9-5. 

The Penguins begin the midweek fourth in the Metropolitan Division but are only five points back of the first-place Carolina Hurricanes.