Penguins' Evgeni Malkin hit with big suspension for slashing Sabres' Rasmus Dahlin

What makes the suspension of Malkin even worse for the Penguins is that they are also playing without their other top player, captain Sidney Crosby.

Crosby has been sidelined since the Olympic break due to a lower-body injury he suffered at the 2026 Winter Olympics. 

If there is some good news for the Penguins in all of this, it is that Crosby was back at practice on Friday and seems to be getting closer to a potential return, perhaps sooner than expected. While he is not likely to play in their two games this weekend against the Philadelphia Flyers (Saturday) and Boston Bruins (Sunday), a return on the Penguins' upcoming road trip next week certainly seems to be possible. 

Malkin has missed 15 games this season due to injury, a series of games that sidelined him throughout December and early January. The Penguins went 6-5-4 during that stretch. 

The difference this time, however, is that the Penguins still had Crosby during that stretch. They will not have him for at least the start of this next five-game stretch.

The Penguins are still in a pretty good spot in the standings and the Eastern Conference playoff race with a little bit of a cushion, but this could still make things uncomfortably close if they lose a couple of games while the teams chasing them (specifically the Columbus Blue Jackets) continue to win. If they can find a way to split the games this weekend, they should still be in a good position.