Malkin scores twice for Penguins in win against Senators

PITTSBURGH -- Jake Guentzel had a goal and two assists for the Pittsburgh Penguins before he was injured in the third period of a 5-2 win against the Ottawa Senators at PPG Paints Arena on Monday.

The forward left the game after crashing into the end boards following his goal to put the Penguins ahead 5-2 at 6:55. He went to the locker room holding his right arm after scoring on a backhand for his 200th NHL point and tripping over Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot.
Guentzel, who leads Pittsburgh with 20 goals and 43 points, was being evaluated after the game. More information could be provided after the Penguins practice Tuesday, coach Mike Sullivan said.
"It was really scary," Sullivan said. "Those are always dangerous when you fall that distance from the boards."
WATCH: [All Senators vs. Penguins highlights]
Evgeni Malkin had two goals and an assist, and Tristan Jarry made 24 saves to win his sixth straight start for the Penguins (24-11-4), who have won three games in a row, seven of eight and 10 of 12.
Nicholas Paul scored two goals for the Senators (16-19-5), who were on a five-game point streak (2-0-3). Ottawa was coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils on Sunday.
"Too many mistakes in our end," Senators coach D.J. Smith said. "Their good players beat us."
Malkin gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead 27 seconds into the game when he scored on a 2-on-1 rush.
Dominik Simon made it 2-0 when he finished a cross-ice pass from Joseph Blandisi with a backhand near the right post at 11:44 of the first.

Paul cut it to 2-1 on a wrist shot with Jarry scrambling to push toward the right post at 4:21 of the second before Malkin scored 1:41 later.
Malkin dropped to one knee for a wrist shot that made it 3-1 at 6:02. He has 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) during a personal nine-game point streak, a stretch that was interrupted by missing two games with an illness Dec. 12-14.
"I feel it, you know?" Malkin said. "I try to help the team to win. It's always good when you have a chance to score and you score, you feel it for the whole game after. Great game for us. We play against a tough team. No power play tonight. We play hard. Good two points for us."
Paul, who has three goals in the past two games, got the Senators within 3-2 when he scored on the rebound of a shot from Connor Brown at 15:58.

"We knew what we were coming into," Paul said. "We have to get back to playing a full 60 minutes hard. We can't take any letups. Just tighten up our game. Our neutral zone is usually our best part of our game. We're letting too many odd-man rushes. I think we just have to tighten up, play hard, and get back to the way we were."
Patric Hornqvist gave Pittsburgh a 4-2 lead when he scored from just outside the crease at 16:51.
Senators goalie Marcus Hogberg made 28 saves.

They said it

"As objectively as I can look at it, [the Penguins are] probably the best-coached team in the NHL. ... They get those chances because their fundamentals are so solid. They put pucks behind D. Their gaps are great. They just look really responsible. They kind of wear you down, and you have breakdowns, and it turns into these fancy Grade A [chances] for them. I think it can look a little misleading, but it's solid fundamentals by them, and they took it to us." -- Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki
"I think the team is just playing a great team game. We're getting pucks deep and we're getting pucks in the net at key times. I think that's helped us a lot." -- Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry

Need to know

Guentzel and Senators forward Anthony Duclair were selected to play in the 2020 Honda NHL All-Star Game. It would be the first All-Star Game for each player. ... Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang and Ottawa forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau were announced as candidates for the 2020 NHL All-Star Last Men In presented by adidas, which gives fans the chance to vote for the final player on each All-Star roster. ... The Senators are 2-12-1 at PPG Paints Arena since it opened for the 2010-11 season. ... The Penguins are 14-5-3 without center Sidney Crosby (core muscle surgery) this season. ... The Senators have allowed at least four goals in six of their past seven games. ... Guentzel has seven points (four goals, three assists) on a four-game point streak. ... Pittsburgh forward Bryan Rust had two assists and has 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in the past nine games. ... Duclair was held without a point for the second time in three games after having at least one in eight of his previous 10. His 31 points (21 goals, 10 assists) lead Ottawa.

What's next

Senators: Host the Florida Panthers on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; RDS2, TSN5, FS-F, NHL.TV)
Penguins: Host the San Jose Sharks on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; ATTSN-PT, NBCSCA, NHL.TV)