Wednesday, 20 March 2013 15:41

Written by Dave Molinari

Penguins center Evgeni Malkin, who has missed the past six games with an apparent shoulder injury, gave and received contact for the second day in a row during his team's optional practice at Consol Energy Center this afternoon.

And he didn't seem to suffer any ill effects from it. None that surfaced immediately, certainly.

"Doing that (today) was a sign that (Tuesday) went well," coach Dan Bylsma said. "He handled it fine out there (Wednesday). We'll see how he reacts as we go forward."

Malkin has targeted the Penguins' game against the New York Islanders Friday night at Nassau Coliseum for his return, but cautioned that it is premature to pencil him into the lineup just yet.

"I'm close to playing," Malkin said. "I'll try to play Friday, but it's hard to say now. Just a couple of days more, and we'll see."

Malkin, like defenseman Kris Letang, is officially listed as day-to-day.