Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin will miss the next six-to-eight weeks with an upper-body injury, general manager Jim Rutherford announced Saturday.

The 29-year-old was injured after a collision with defenseman Dalton Prout behind the Blue Jackets' net during his team's 3-2 win over Columbus on Friday. The injury appeared to be to his left hand or wrist.

His 27 goals and 58 points trail only Sidney Crosby on the Penguins this season. The team went 5-4-1 during a ten-game stretch in February that the Russian missed due to a lower-body injury.

The current timeline likely rules Malkin out for at least the opening round of the postseason if the Penguins qualify. They current sit three points ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers for the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot.

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