ANAHEIM, Calif. — Evgeni Malkin raised his stick to the rafter and let out a roar as he was engulfed by Penguins.
It had been just more than seven months since the star center underwent right knee surgery. Thirty-four Penguins games unfolded with Geno sidelined. But after a long wait, Malkin took no time at all to make his presence felt, tallying a pair of goals and a primary assist in a 4-1 Penguins victory Tuesday night against the Anaheim Ducks.
Before the game, coach Mike Sullivan was asked what realistic expectations should be for Malkin, considering his age (35), the severity of the injury and the length of his rehab.
“He’s the type of player that has the ability to have an impact immediately,” Sullivan said. “I’m sure he will in this game.”
That quote proved to be prophetic.
During a second period power play, defenseman Kris Letang slid the puck over to Malkin in his usual one-timer spot in the right circle. He uncorked a massive slap shot, with Sidney Crosby providing a jumping, spinning screen in front.
Less than 24 minutes into his first game of the season, Malkin was on the stat sheet, as the celebration in the right circle ensued.
Just 11 minutes later, Malkin was raising his stick and his voice again in celebration. Defenseman John Marino zipped a shot through the crease. Malkin, using his 6-3 frame, jostled for position in front and redirected the puck past netminder Anthony Stolarz to give the Penguins a 3-1 lead.
Malkin’s line as a whole had a productive evening. Big forward Jeff Carter, who skated on Malkin’s left wing, netted his 10th goal of the season just 1:05 into the game. He also swished the empty netter late, off a feed from Malkin. Kasperi Kapanen also had a number of solid chances off the rush.
Had Malkin not made his debut, goaltender Tristan Jarry very well could have stolen the storyline. He didn’t face a huge volume of shots. But the ones he did see were high-quality chances. He was sharp throughout, stopping 25 of 26.
The lone goal Jarry allowed was sandwiched between the two Malkin second-period goals. Jarry dove to his right and opened up his blocker to make one save. But the puck popped right to Jakob Silfverberg in the slot with nothing but open net staring back at him.
However, Malkin’s second goal of the game gave the Penguins some breathing room.
The Penguins, who saw their 10-game winning streak snapped on Saturday in Dallas, got back in the win column for their 11th victory in 12 games. They have not lost consecutive games since losing three in a row on Nov. 27, Nov. 29 and Dec. 1.
The Penguins have now crossed off three parts of their six-game, 12-day road trip. The West Coast swing continues on Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings.
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