Penguins

Maatta, Niederreiter move on from ugly hit

BylinesDK_1-25-16
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Penguins returned to the ice Saturday morning after the four-day Christmas break with a triple-jolt of good news: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang all were pronounced ready to play in their 8:08 p.m. game against the Wild.

Mike Sullivan confirmed that after all three participated in the game-day skate.

"They'll be in the lineup," he said.

Crosby missed his first game of the season Monday in the 5-2 victory over the Blue Jackets with an undisclosed lower-body injury. It wasn't seen as serious at the time, but he proved that, he told me, by skating with a few friends in an annual pickup game in his native Halifax, Nova Scotia, during the break.

"That was a good test," he said. "To get out there with those guys and have some fun was great, but I could also tell I was better."

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