Penguins hope Malkin, Hornqvist ready for Game 6 against Flyers

CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist will be game-time decisions for the Pittsburgh Penguins against the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Wells Fargo Center on Sunday (3 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVAS).
When asked about the availability of the two forwards, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said, "All players are game-time decisions." When asked about Malkin a second time, Sullivan reiterated that all players would be game-time decisions.

Malkin, who did not practice Saturday, temporarily left Game 5 after colliding with Flyers forward Jori Lehtera at 16:25 of the first period, resulting in Lehtera falling on his left leg. Malkin returned for the start of the second period and played 20:22 in Pittsburgh's 4-2 loss, which cut its lead in the best-of-7 series to 3-2.
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The Penguins did not hold line rushes during practice, which lasted about 25 minutes. If Malkin can't play, third-line center Derick Brassard would likely take his place between left wing Carl Hagelin and right wing Phil Kessel on the second line.
Brassard, acquired by the Penguins from the Ottawa Senators in a trade on Feb. 23, has three points (one goal, two assists) this series, including one assist in Game 5.
"[Brassard] is an important player for us, regardless of who's in the lineup," Sullivan said. "He's a good player. I thought last night was his best performance as a Penguin."
After leading the Penguins with 42 goals and 98 points in 78 regular-season games, Malkin has five points (three goals, two assists) in five games this series. He had two points in each of his previous two games before being held scoreless Friday.

Hornqvist took full contact in practice Saturday after missing Games 4 and 5 with an upper-body injury. He joined the Penguins' optional morning skate Friday, but wore a no-contact jersey, after skating on his own the previous day.
"It's obviously nice to be back with the guys," Hornqvist said. "Get bumped a little bit, and hopefully it'll keep going well today and I can play tomorrow."
Much of practice was devoted to the power play, which has gone 1 for 9 in two games without Hornqvist this series. The Penguins were 0 for 5 Friday and allowed Flyers forward Valtteri Filppula to score a shorthanded goal that tied the score 2-2 at 18:15 of the second period.
Hornqvist returned to his normal spot as the net-front presence on the first unit Saturday. Forward Jake Guentzel and defenseman Kris Letang took turns filling in for Malkin with forwards Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel, and defenseman Justin Schultz, making up the rest of the unit.
"[Hornqvist] is an important player for us," Sullivan said. "He brings so much passion to the rink every day. He just loves the game. He loves to be around his teammates. He loves to practice. He loves to play. It's contagious."
Fifteen of Hornqvist's 29 regular-season goals were scored on the power play, where he serves as the net-front presence on the first unit.
"It's not a great feeling to be outside of the lineup and watching. You get so nervous," Hornqvist said. "I thought we did some really good things [Friday] and we have to clean up some other things, but overall, I think we played a decent game."