Both teams failed to trouble the score-sheet and the tie now heads to Dortmund with everything to play for.

But despite failing to find the back of the net in front of their home crowd, a happy Pellegrini said he was content with his team’s performance, able to keep the ‘excellent’ Dortmund at bay.

And the 59-year-old was quietly confident Malaga could sneak into the semi-finals with a shock result in Germany.

“It was a very good game from both teams, who each tried to get into the opposition box,” Pellegrini told uefa.com. “The crowd were happy. Dortmund are an excellent side.

“If we look at their campaign in this UEFA Champions League season, they scored four goals at Ajax, also scored in Madrid and again away to Manchester City.

“It was an open game and the tie is absolutely open. Let’s start well in Dortmund.”

However, Malaga will be without both Weligton and Manuel Iturra for the return trip, and Pellegrini must devise a plan to keep Dortmund’s young brigade without the duo.

“(Weligton and Manuel Iturra) are important players; luckily (Martín) Demichelis didn’t get a yellow card as well, so we will see how we replace those two,” he said.

“Dortmund’s team are all good young players with great technique and dynamism.”

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“I don’t want to say no, but we’ll see [Monday],” Quenneville said of the two players after Saturday’s practice at Johnny’s IceHouse West.

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Forward Viktor Stalberg missed practice Saturday, but he is likely to play on Sunday, according to Quenneville. Stalberg was struck in the face by a puck in the third period of Friday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks and did not return.

Hossa has missed four games since suffering an unspecified upper-body injury against the Colorado Avalanche on March 18. He has 13 goals and 10 assists in 28 games this season.

Sharp has missed nine games since suffering an unspecified upper-body injury, also against the Avalanche, on March 6. He has five goals and 13 assists in 24 games this season.

Hossa and Sharp participated in their first full practice on Saturday. They weren’t allowed contact previously.

“It’s another step in returning,” Sharp said. “I felt fine doing the contact stuff. I’m sure there will be more of that in the next few days and hopefully come back soon.”

Sharp said he was close to returning, but it was important to be completely healthy when he plays again.

“It’s still not 100 percent,” Sharp said. “I think the idea is to come back and have the injury completely behind you not only mentally, but physically more than anything. Just to know I can take hits to the upper body and be fine, so you don’t have to keep tweaking it and addressing it all through playoffs and end of the season.”

Hossa also said he had to be patient in his return despite his desire to be out on the ice helping the team.

“Obviously when the team loses, you feel like you [could] try to help,” Hossa said. “But like I said, you don’t want to rush things with this type of injury because you can get hurt again, and you’ll be more out than you wanted to be.”

The Blackhawks have gone 4-5 without Sharp and 2-3 without Hossa this season. The Blackhawks are 20-0-3 with both players in the lineup this season.

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Kolb was set to make a $2 million bonus if he was still on the club’s roster Saturday. He also had a $9 million base salary for this season.

Kolb’s future in Arizona became even cloudier Wednesday when the team agreed to a three-year contract with quarterback Drew Stanton.

Thanks to injuries and his unsteady play, Kolb appeared in just six games with the Cardinals last season, throwing for 1,169 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions.

Kolb, 28, threw for 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in two seasons with Arizona after being acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles. He was a 2007 second-round pick of the Eagles.

Star wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, in an interview with ESPN Radio’s “SVP and Russillo” show Thursday, said he has confidence that new coach Bruce Arians would improve the team’s quarterback situation.

The Cardinals, whose offense ranked dead last in the NFL last season, also have tendered an offer to quarterback Brian Hoyer.

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The Penguins star center took a heavy hit from Toronto winger James van Riemsdyk late in the third period and didn’t take another shift.

“Just an upper-body injury, kept him out the rest of the game,” Bylsma said after a 5-4 win over Toronto.

The prognosis?

“Don’t have one; he’ll certainly be re-evaluated,” Bylsma said. “In the game it was more precautionary than anything at that point in time.”

Malkin recently returned after missing four games with a concussion.

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The league’s reigning MVP hasn’t played since his concussion after slamming into the end boards in a win over Florida on Feb. 22.

Coach Dan Bylsma says Malkin has passed all the mandatory NHL protocols following a head injury. Malkin says he has not experienced headaches, neck soreness or other symptoms. Malkin adds he did have short-term memory loss the day he was hurt.

Malkin has four goals and 17 assists this season. The Penguins went 2-2 in Malkin’s absence. The 26-year-old is to play on the second line with Beau Bennett and James Neal against the Lightning.

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The Blackhawks set an NHL record for the best start to a season, beating the San Jose Sharks 2-1 on Friday to give them at least one point in each of their first 17 games.

Rookie Brandon Saad’s short-handed goal early in the third period — and with 3 seconds left on a San Jose power play — snapped a 1-all tie and stood up as the game winner. Chicago (14-0-3) won its fourth straight game to break a mark set by the 2006-07 Anaheim Ducks, who earned points in their first 16 games.

The Blackhawks equaled that run Tuesday with a shootout win over Vancouver.

“It’s nice to get another win and make history,” the 20-year-old Saad said. “Our group’s had a great year so far, so we never expect anything less.

“We’re celebrating the win now. I’m sure it will sink in a little bit more tomorrow, but it’s awesome to be part of history.”

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville also reflected on the record, but not for long.

“The guys should be proud of the achievement, the accomplishment,” he said. “I just think we shouldn’t be happy with where we’re at. We just want to keep trying to get better.”

Saad scored the go-ahead goal after closing in on the left wing one-on-one with San Jose defenseman Brent Burns. After a quick fake, Saad fired a shot from the circle that beat San Jose’s Antti Niemi just under the glove 2:24 into the period.

“I just took him (Burns) wide and tried to get a shot off,” Saad said. “Luckily, I beat (Niemi) glove side. Sometimes power-play guys drop back a little, and I took advantage of it.”

Burns gave Saad too much room on the play, however, according to San Jose coach Todd McLellan.

“I thought that we let a player that wasn’t very dangerous — not because he’s not talented or anything — but a player in a situation that wasn’t very dangerous skate into a primary scoring spot without even challenging him,” McLellan said.

“I’m not sure if our goalie was on the angle or not,” he added, “but I’m disappointed we didn’t challenge him earlier.”

Viktor Stalberg also scored for league-leading Chicago, which has earned a total of 31 of 34 possible points.

Blackhawks goalie Ray Emery made 26 saves to win his fourth straight start and improve to 7-0. Chicago killed all four San Jose power plays, all of which occurred in a span of less than 14 minutes late in the second and early in the third periods.

“(The record) is a notch in your belt,” Emery said. “It’s special to do something as a group.

“The start of the year is the worst time to do it, I think,” he added. “You’d rather do it at the end, but it’s great.”

Patrick Marleau scored for the Sharks, getting only his second goal in 11 games after getting nine in San Jose’s first five games.

Both Emery and Niemi were sharp throughout most of the game. But a misplay by Niemi led to Stalberg’s goal at 16:40 of the second period, and he seemed fooled on Saad’s score. Niemi stopped 32 shots.

Niemi, who was the goalie when the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010, also let in a couple of soft goals in a 4-1 loss to the Blackhawks at the United Center last Friday.

Chicago and San Jose faced each other for the third time in 17 days. The Blackhawks defeated the Sharks 4-1 last Friday and 5-3 in San Jose on Feb. 5.

The Blackhawks had a full lineup for the first time since their season opener at Los Angeles.

Chicago defenseman Brent Seabrook, forward Daniel Carcillo and goalie Corey Crawford returned from injuries. Seabrook missed Tuesday’s game with a lower-body injury, and Carcillo sat out 15 games after suffering a knee injury in the season opener.

Crawford, who sat out three games with a upper-body injury, backed up Emery.

Chicago forward Marian Hossa was back after being hit in the back of the head by Vancouver forward Jannik Hansen on Tuesday and leaving early in the third period. Hansen was suspended for one game by the NHL.

Marleau broke the scoreless tie late in the first period. He connected with 14.2 seconds left to give San Jose a 1-0 lead.

Emery made a point-blank pad save on Joe Pavelski’s tip of Joe Thornton’s shot from left wing, then Marleau pounced on the rebound in the slot. Emery got his left pad on Marleau’s attempt, but the puck barely slid over the goal line.

Stalberg tied it at 1 at 16:40 of the second on a play from the left corner. From a sharp angle and with traffic in front, Stalberg whipped the puck toward Niemi. It struck the inside of Niemi’s left pad near the knee and deflected in.

Saad’s goal 2:24 into the third made it 2-1.

Then Chicago’s penalty killing and alert work by Emery helped preserve the lead.

“I thought we got better as the game went on, each and every shift,” Quenneville said. “We certainly got some energy off the penalty kill tonight, none more than getting the shortie in the third.”

Niemi was pulled for an extra attacker with 1:10 left, but Chicago kept the Sharks off the puck and off balance. Hossa missed an empty net in the final seconds.

Game notes

The 2006-07 Anaheim Ducks got off to a 12-0-4 start that season and went on to win the Stanley Cup. … The Sharks played the fifth game of a season-high six-game road trip and are 1-3-1. Chicago C Dave Bolland left the game late in the second period with an upper-body injury and is out day to day. … Despite the compressed 48-game NHL schedule, San Jose had played only one game — at St. Louis on Tuesday — since facing the Blackhawks in Chicago a week ago. … San Jose C Scott Gomez and D Justin Braun were healthy scratches. … Former Blackhawks player and current broadcaster Eddie Olczyk, a Chicago-area native, was honored in a pregame ceremony for being inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.

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Malkin has symptoms that include a severe headache and mild disorientation, the newspaper reported, citing multiple sources.

Malkin was injured in the third period of Friday’s game against the Panthers after getting nudged by Florida’s Erik Gudbranson. Malkin’s back hit the boards at full speed and his head snapped back upon impact.

Penguins coach Dan Bylsma ruled Malkin out for Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay. Bylsma declined to elaborate on the nature of what is being called an “upper body” injury but added that Malkin is not hospitalized.

Pittsburgh’s second-leading scorer, Malkin has registered 14 goals and 25 points in 22 games this season. The Russian center collected 50 goals and 109 points last season en route to winning the Hart Trophy.

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“The draw was fair,” Frankfurt coach Armin Veh said. “We didn’t allow anything in the first half, Freiburg were better in the second.”

Frankfurt’s Stefan Aigner — who had a goal ruled out for offside early on — could only hit the side-netting after racing toward goal in the 17th minute.

Freiburg improved after the break and almost scored from a corner in the 64th, when Stefano Celozzi cleared Jan Rosenthal’s header off the line. One minute later, he did it again, this time from Mattias Ginter.

“That’s what I’m there for,” Celozzi said.

Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp denied Max Kruse in the 76th, Johannes Flum headed over with five minutes remaining and then drew another save from Trapp.

“When we in Freiburg get so many chances in the first Bundesliga (division), then I’m happy,” Freiburg coach Christian Streich said. “We can’t always hope that we score the winner in the 80th minute.”

Frankfurt remained fourth while Freiburg stayed three points behind ahead of the rest of the weekend’s games.

Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich hosts Werder Bremen on Saturday, while defending champion Borussia Dortmund visits Borussia Moenchengladbach on Sunday.

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“I thought he felt much better today,” Quenneville said. “He said he felt good after practice as well. We’ll see how he is [Friday] and with a chance of playing [Friday] night.”

Hansen’s forearm connected with the back of Hossa’s head while the two players were advancing for a loose puck in the air with 18:55 remaining in the third period of Tuesday’s game. Hossa lay face-first on the ice for a few minutes while being attended to by the Blackhawks medical staff. He eventually left the ice under his own power.

“Obviously he surprised with a hit from behind,” Hossa said Thursday. “He hit me pretty hard in the back of the head. Right after, I was shaky. That’s basically why I didn’t return, because I was shaky. We had the day off, and it kind of slowed down. This morning I woke up and felt much better.”

Hossa said he doesn’t believe he suffered a concussion on the hit.

“No, I don’t believe [I had a concussion] because more than anything he surprised me with a punch from behind,” Hossa said. “I was shaky for a few minutes right after that, which is why I didn’t return to the game.”

Hansen met with the NHL on Wednesday and was given a one-game suspension for the hit.

“It’s up to the league,” Hossa said of the suspension. “They’re making the decisions. But I’m glad at least one game.

Hopefully, more guys learn from it. He said he was reaching for the puck. I didn’t buy it, because when you’re reaching for the puck you don’t hit somebody that hard to the head.”

The Blackhawks did not practice Wednesday, but Hossa was evaluated by the team.

“It was a very encouraging that he felt good [Wednesday], and he responded feeling good during practice and afterwards, which is a big test for us and him,” Quenneville said. “That’s definitely very good news.”

Hossa suffered a head injury last season when Phoenix Coyotes forward Raffi Torres launched himself into Hossa during Game 3 of a first-round playoff series. Hossa had to be taken off the ice on a stretcher. He missed the Blackhawks’ final three games of the season and was cleared to play again in early December.

“We were all concerned,” Quenneville said of Hossa’s latest collision. “We all saw the situation in the playoffs and you see it again. These things do have a history, so it was definitely a concern.”

Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford and defenseman Brent Seabrook returned to practice Thursday, but goaltender Ray Emery did not participate because of a family commitment. Seabrook will play Friday, and Emery will make his fourth straight start in place of Crawford.

Crawford has missed the Blackhawks’ past three games with an upper-body injury. He is 7-0-3 with a 1.65 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage this season.

Seabrook missed Tuesday’s game against the Canucks because of a lower-body injury. He briefly left Sunday’s game with the Los Angeles Kings after being hit in the groin area by a slap shot.

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“As of now, I have no complications with my blood pumper,” Foster said in a statement Friday. “There was a casual conversation with a reporter about my particular condition that turned public. But I have not, nor do I plan to anytime in the near future, have conversations with my doctors about any surgery. I am feeling well and am as exuberant as ever. Love and light to all those concerned!”

The 26-year-old Foster left in the third quarter of Houston’s 23-6 loss to Minnesota on Dec. 23 with an irregular heartbeat. Coach Gary Kubiak said after the game that Foster had also experienced the problem in a practice.

Foster rushed for 1,424 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2012.

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