What happened: Illness kept Malkin off the ice Friday after he barely reacted to scoring a goal and stayed inside the tunnel during postgame honors the previous evening. Chinakhov missed the session with a lingering minor lower-body injury that has rotated him in and out of the lineup over the past week.

Why it matters: The illness update resolves social media speculation surrounding Malkin, who re-signed to extend his Pittsburgh tenure another season, after his subdued demeanor. Meanwhile, the blue helmets and pants align with the franchise's 'What's old is new' cipher teaser and retro penguin crest merchandise in the team store.

What to watch: Pittsburgh will monitor the availability of both forwards while preparing to debut the Hometown Remix uniforms on home ice.