Malkin provided the momentum the Pens needed to get on the scoreboard in a ferocious second period and reasserted their dominance at home, 19-2-2 on the season, in an 8-7 overtime win.
However, that was not all he did….
The Russian-native tallied three goals of the night, giving him his 11th career hat trick that put him fourth all-time on the goals list (316) for the Pens and moved him to third in the NHL scoring race with 49 points (21G-28A).
Malkin got rolling in the second when Trevor Daley passed the puck to him and was able to snap a shot from the far dot to end the Caps' shutout streak at 149:04 minutes and get the Pens in the game despite trailing 3-1.
Malkin said a game like this is crazy.
"We needed to score the first goal," he said. "After the first goal, we have a little bit more confidence and just played fast. Washington played yesterday, we know that and just doing the right things like chip the puck behind the defensemen, play in the offensive zone and after the first goal, we played better."
Malkin's second goal of the night came a little later in the game when Jake Guentzel pushed the puck toward the goal and Malkin chipped it over the shoulder of goaltender Braden Holtby to give the Pens a two-goal lead, 5-3.
The hat trick also came in the second period. Sidney Crosby got the puck to Patric Hornqvist, who was crashing the net. Malkin was able to lightly flip the puck over the left pad of Philipp Grubauer and bring the lead up 6-5. The Caps challenged for goaltender interference, but the goal stood giving Malkin his first hat trick since Jan. 23, 2016 vs. Vancouver.
Malkin tallied three goals in a 10:51 span and has eight tallies in the last eight games. The number of points scored was a confidence boost for the team and Malkin's goals were a key component in their win.
Malkin is hoping his team can carry that momentum forward.
"We feel a little bit better right now," he said, "and will go to Montreal and play right."
