Penguins/NHL
Pittsburgh — Game 7 Stanley Cup hero Max Talbot practiced with his teammates for the first time this afternoon.
Talbot recovering from off-season shoulder surgery has been skating on his own for the past couple weeks. Today he went through normal drills (non-contact) but he has not been cleared for contact to this point. That will be coming in 10-14 days according to sources.
Talbot’s timetable for a return remains
5-6 weeks. On schedule for a late November return. He still doesn’t get much velocity on his shot but his strength in his shot has been improving over the past week. Today was a good step forward for Talbot who is eager to return to the ice.
More Notes
*Jordan Staal returned to practice today. Staal was given a day off yesterday along with Evgeni Malkin. Both players practiced today and will play tomorrow night against St. Louis. Neither player is nursing an injury.
*The Penguins top three lines were the same in practice that they have been for the entire season.
*Chris Bourque alternated on the 4th line. No word yet if he will be in the lineup against St. Louis.
*Pittsburgh is considering playing Martin Skoula in one of the Penguins back-to-back games this month.
Blues goaltender Ty Conklin is coming off of a 5-0 shutout win against Anaheim and may get the start against his former team.
