After the loss, Sullivan provided his thoughts on Malkin's absence from the lineup. “He's an important player for us,” the Penguins bench boss said, via NHL.com. “He's a top-two center, he's dynamic with the puck. He's not an easy guy to replace.”

The Penguins' secondary scoring has evaporated, placing a bigger burden on top-liners Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust. That's part of the logic behind a double-double stack for Josh Inglis, who presents his three best NHL props for tonight.

Dan Rosen of NHL.com: If a team comes to the Pittsburgh Penguins with a too good to be true offer, they have to consider it. There doesn’t appear to be anything imminent, especially with Sidney Crosby. He signed a two-year extension and said he plans to honor it.

Perhaps it was the sleepy, San Jose crowd at a half-empty SAP Center. Or, it could have been the reality that Evgeni Malkin will be out week-to-week more seriously settling in with the team. Whatever the reason,

The Pittsburgh Penguins (20-24-8) have one more chance to salvage a good feeling from this extended seven-game road trip that seemingly began a lifetime ago with a joyous victory over the Buffalo Sabres and Alex Nedeljkovic’s goalie goal.

THROUGH GAMES OF WEDNESDAY, JAN. 29, 2025

Utah Hockey Club (21-21-7, 49 points, 6th place Central Division) When: 9:30 p.m. ET How to Watch: Broadcasting on Sportsnet Pittsburgh locally, national game on TNT and streaming on Max Pens’ Path Ahead: Tonight is the end of a seven-game road trip (2-4-0 record).

Three losses in a row entering tonight helps bring a couple of changes for the Penguins: Ryan Shea is bounced to healthy scratch territory, P.O. Joseph is back in the game Jesse Puljujarvi returns from AHL banishment for his first NHL game since January 12th,

They helped broker the trade between the Avalanche and Hurricanes because by doing so they could get a third-round draft pick for Taylor Hall, who is in the last season of his contract and is a pending unrestricted free agent.

The Penguins looked lethargic and disinterested most of the night in a 2-1 loss to the lowly Sharks in San Jose.

When two of the three worst defensive teams in the NHL collide, one might expect sparks. Yet when the Pittsburgh Penguins (20-24-8)  faced the San Jose Sharks (15-32-6) Tuesday, it was more like fingernails on a chalkboard.

The symbolism could not be more appropriate Monday as the sinking Pittsburgh Penguins (20-23-8) are in the shark tank to face the rebuilding San Jose Sharks (14-32-6), who boast the 2024 first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini at SAP Arena.