Malkin, Hornqvist return for Penguins vs. Coyotes

PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Penguins forwards Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist will return against the Arizona Coyotes (1 p.m. ET; FS-A, ROOT) at Consol Energy Center on Saturday.

Malkin and Hornqvist each participated in Pittsburgh's practice Friday after missing six and five games, respectively. Malkin last played March 14, when he sustained a lower-body injury during his first shift against the Boston Bruins. Hornqvist, who has missed 18 games in his first seasons with the Penguins, has not played since skating 17:45 against the Detroit Red Wings, out with an undisclosed injury.

With Malkin (28 goals) and Hornqvist (23 goals) sidelined, Pittsburgh lost two of its top three goal scorers for a large portion of March, which has been evident in its lack of offensive production over the past two weeks. The Penguins have failed to score more than two goals in seven consecutive games, beginning with a 2-0 loss to the Bruins played primarily without Malkin and forward Sidney Crosby.

“We’re playing so bad right now,” Malkin said on Friday. “It’s true. And it’s not just one guy, it’s the whole team. I hope I come back and [Hornqvist] comes back and we should start playing better. Listen to coach. Play better on the power play and just, every game is important right now because we have 91 points. It’s not enough for the playoffs.

“We should play better. The whole team.”

Hornqvist will return to Pittsburgh’s top line to the right of center Crosby and left wing Daniel Winnik. He skated on the fourth line during the practice Friday because of uncertainty regarding his availability for Saturday and forward Steve Downie having a maintenance day, Penguins coach Mike Johnston said.

Forward David Perron, who normally plays at first-line left wing, will not play because of an undisclosed illness.

Pittsburgh’s power play has specifically struggled, which has been the norm through most of the season. After converting at over 40 percent through part of the season’s first two months, the Penguins have fallen to 19.3 percent on the man advantage.

Without Malkin and Hornqvist, the power play has become even more stagnant. Pittsburgh has scored two goals on 21 opportunities since Malkin was injured against Boston.

“You look at both their skill sets; [Malkin] on the side is a great shooter, obviously can make some plays. Hornqvist is really good at the net,” Johnston said. “The combination of Hornqvist and Kunitz at the net, certainly should help the power play. With those two guys at the net, we have to have that shooting mentality and it has to start early in the power play.”