Malkin was a late scratch for a 2-1 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday. He was cross-checked by St. Louis Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo and stayed down on the ice for a while in the first period of a 5-1 loss Saturday. No penalty was called, and Malkin played the rest of the game.
Malkin is third on Pittsburgh with 71 points (21 goals, 50 assists) in 66 games. Rookie Teddy Blueger took his place at second-line center against Philadelphia, with Bryan Rust and Phil Kessel on the wings.
"He's a tough guy to replace," Sullivan said after the Flyers game. "He's an elite player. That speaks for itself. As far as what we're going to do moving forward, we'll probably take it game to game and see how it goes."
The Penguins (39-24-10) trail the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals by three points in the race for first place in the Metropolitan Division. They lead the Carolina Hurricanes by three points for third.
