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Evgeni Malkin reveals strange details of the severe injury that kept him out of action
Photo credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
Penguins' Evgeni Malkin has missed a lot of game action since suffering his injury, and he revealed some pretty weird details about what he was dealing with.
Evgeni Malkin is set to return to the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup after missing the last 15 games due to an upper-body injury.
Malkin laced up the skates with the rest of the team for the first time on Friday, Jan. 2, in a no-contact uniform, and full practices with contact resumed on Tuesday, Jan. 6.
Now, the Penguins are on a five-game winning streak heading into tonight's game against the New Jersey Devils. However, the team struggled for the most part in Malkin's absence.
His final game took place on Dec. 4 in Tampa, in which he scored two goals, including the game-winner.
What changed for Evgeni Malkin the day after suffering his injury
He didn't experience any post-game discomfort but found himself unable to move his shoulder and arm the following day. A day-to-day injury had developed into a longer-term problem.
"It's crazy, because I didn't feel any pain after the game. But the next morning I woke up and like, my upper body, I can't move my shoulder-like, it's crazy. (Recovery) was slow every day. Day by day I couldn't move my arm. It was tough," Malkin said. "I did my best. I worked out in recovery every day, but it's not easy. It was a weird injury, but not like crazy (bad). It's small things, but it's annoying. Every day was pain.
"The last couple of weeks, I did lots of stuff, but probably the last three, four days, I feel so much better."
- Evgeni Malkin
"The last couple of weeks, I did lots of stuff, but probably the last three, four days, I feel so much better."
- Evgeni Malkin
The 38-year-old has taken an approach in the final year of his contract to just show up and have fun every day. Malkin took a similar attitude into the season, playing well with 26 points in 15 games and scoring in 11 of them before he was injured.
Why the Penguins need Evgeni Malkin back
During his absence, the Penguins started 1-4-4 in the first 10 games when they won their lone game on Dec. 21 against the Montreal Canadiens as Sidney Crosby broke the franchise record for points held by Mario Lemieux.
Since the holiday break, Pittsburgh has seemed to hit its stride with Crosby leading the charge. Malkin joked that they've had plenty of experience with injuries over the two decades they've spent with the Penguins, and is eager to get back out there.
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| POLL | ||
JANVIER 6 | 165 ANSWERS Evgeni Malkin reveals strange details of the severe injury that kept him out of action Will Evgeni Malkin regain his form when he returns after being out so long? | ||
| Yes | 136 | 82.4 % |
| No | 29 | 17.6 % |
| List of polls | ||