RELATED: [Complete Capitals vs. Penguins series coverage]
Though the 31-year-old center practiced Saturday, he is not ready to return from the lower-body injury sustained when he collided with Philadelphia Flyers forward Jori Lehtera, who fell on Malkin's left leg, in Game 5 of the first round. Malkin, who finished that game, had five points (three goals, two assists) in five games against the Flyers. He missed Game 6 of that series and Game 1 against the Capitals, which the Penguins won 3-2.
"We're a better team when Geno's in our lineup," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "That's an obvious statement. Having said that, I don't think our team looks for any sort of excuses. I think we try to rally around one another."
Riley Sheahan took Malkin's place on the second line in Game 1, playing with Phil Kessel and Dominik Simon. Sheahan, who played 19:15, has three points (one goal, two assists) in seven games of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"It's a next-man-up attitude," Sullivan said. "We have capable people in our lineup, it provides opportunities for others to play a more significant role and they want to take advantage of those opportunities. That's how our players look at it, that's certainly how our team looks at it and we're going to put our very best lineup at our disposal on the ice today and we're going to try to win."
