Penguins' Evgeni Malkin: Making progress

Malkin (upper body) skated Thursday morning and is making progress toward a return to action, according to coach Mike Sullivan, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Analysis:

Sullivan relayed Thursday that the team's focus is on prepping Malkin and key blueliner Kris Letang for the playoffs. "At this point, it's medical clearance, but with the thought in mind that we're taking a cautious approach," Sullivan said. "I think we're hopeful that these guys are making progress and are going to be ready at the most important time of year for us." Considering that, we'll put Malkin in the day-to-day category, but he's unlikely to return to the Penguins' lineup in short order.