Evgeni Malkin (concussion) takes contact in practice, feels good after
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Evgeni Malkin seems to be recovering well from his recent concussion.
The Pittsburgh Penguins center and last year's Hart Trophy winner has been out since taking a hard fall into the boards in a game against the Panthers nine days ago. Coach Dan Bylsma later confirmed Malkin suffered a concussion on the collision and would be out indefinitely.
While he's still not ready to return, the progress is positive as Malkin returned to practice with his teammates on Sunday in an optional skate. Not only did he skate with teammates, he took some contact, too, a key step in a player's return from a concussion.
Afterward, Malkin said he's feeling good but could use just a few more practices before coming back. Hey, you can't be cautious enough when it comes to concussions, especially in Pittsburgh where they saw Sidney Crosby miss so much time.
He spoke a little more about the concussion.
Malkin: No headaches. Lost a little memory. Next day I saw Dr. We talked. I feel good. Started working out. Now skating with team.
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 3, 2013
Malkin: (Memory) is OK. I remember the whole game, just not the hit. Next 6 days I feel good, memory is good, no headaches.
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 3, 2013
The deduction you can take away from this is Malkin doesn't seem like he's too far away from returning. It will probably be a few more practices and perhaps by next weekend Malkin will be back to normal.
Malkin hasn't been scoring goals the way we have come to expect this season before his concussion, but his 21 points are still the third most on the team thanks to his 17 assists.
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