A major roadblock to their playoff push this 2015–16 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season was experienced by the Pittsburgh Penguins as center Evgeni Malkin sustained an upper body injury in a 3–2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets last Friday. 

In a video provided by Sportsnet Canada, Malkin was shown to have hurt his left hand after taking a hit from Blue Jackets defenseman Dalton Prout at the 18:50 mark of the second period. 

Because of the time period that he is expected to miss due to the injury, the Penguins' game last Friday versus Columbus could turn out to be Malkin's last regular season outing in the current campaign. Most likely, the 29-year-old center will be returning to the ice during the NHL playoffs, that is if the Penguins can make it past the regular season. 

The Penguins are currently seventh in the Eastern Conference standings and fourth in the Metropolitan Division with a 36–24–8 record. 

Malkin played in 57 games for Pittsburgh this season and tallied a total of 58 points (27 goals, 31 assists). 

Losing an efficient contributor like Malkin is sure tough for a team trying to reach the playoffs, but it is not the first time the Russian missed action this season. According to Yahoo Sports, Malkin was unable play in 10 consecutive games last month because of a lower body injury and the Penguins went 5–4–1 during that period. 

The Penguins are currently on a two-game winning streak after topping the Blue Jackets (3–2) and the New York Rangers (5–3). They would aim to keep the streak alive and improve their playoff chances as the regular season winds down. 

Last season, the Penguins made it to the playoffs but were eliminated early in the first round as the New York Rangers needed just five games to advance. The last time Pittsburgh failed to qualify for the postseason was during the 2005–06 season.