Malkin Goes Beast Mode in Return to Lineup

Evgeni Malkin scored, fired two shots on goal and spent two minutes in the penalty box for tripping. An eventual night for most, that was all within the first four minutes of the game. And he was far from finished there.

Anyone wondering how Malkin was going to fare in his return on Monday night did not have to wait long. Playing for the first time since March 5 after serving his five-game suspension, Malkin was shot out of a cannon at Ball Arena, scoring twice in the first period to pace the Penguins to a gargantuan 7-2 victory against the Colorado Avalanche.

“It was a big mistake for me,” Malkin said of his suspension. “But the guys played well. I want to say thank you for my teammates. It was a bad moment for me. But I look forward to the future. I just want to play.”

Boy, did he ever play against the Avalanche. Malkin stepped onto the ice for the first time 32 seconds into the contest, and 16 seconds later he was sent to the penalty box for a tripping infraction. That was about all Malkin did wrong from there.

Seconds after stepping out of the box, Malkin opened up the scoring. After a give-and-go exchange with Bryan Rust, Malkin’s spinning backhander beat a surprised Scott Wedgewood for a 1-0 Pittsburgh advantage.

“(I was) a little bit nervous,” Malkin said about returning. “When I scored the first goal, I felt much better.”

‘Geno’ wasn’t done. Later in the period, with Pittsburgh ahead 2-1, Malkin was the recipient of tenacious forecheck work by linemate Egor Chinakhov, who used his blazing wheels not once but twice to track down pucks ahead of Josh Manson in the neutral zone, and Nick Blankenburg in the offensive zone.

Holding the puck between both those defenders, Chinakhov laid a perfect backhand feed onto Malkin’s blade while he skated alone down the slot. Malkin had plenty of time to beat Wedgewood blocker side. After that goal, Colorado head coach Jared Bednar pulled Wedgewood in favor of Mackenzie Blackwood.

Having put the Penguins in a tough situation by earning his five-game suspension while captain Sidney Crosby was already out of the lineup, Malkin knew he had to hit the ice sprinting. He did that and then some, providing enough early-game mojo to spearhead a four-goal opening period that proved the difference against the NHL’s best team.

“He was awesome,” head coach Dan Muse said. “He was flying out there. It wasn’t a surprise. He is just somebody who loves the game, and is a competitor.”

For good measure, Malkin helped break the will of the Avalanche, sending Rust on a breakaway. It resulted in Rust scoring five-hole for a 6-2 lead late in the second period, a tally that felt like the Pens could finally let out a small exult. Kudos on that play by Rickard Rakell, who tracked back, intercepted an Avalanche pass and got the puck moving forward to Malkin.

But the night belonged to Malkin. Not that anyone needed reminding of the scintillating talent he possesses even at age 39, but he did so anyways. His teammates rewarded his by presenting him with the post-game helmet as their ‘player of the game.’