At the end of the second period of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 3-2 overtime victory against the Nashville Predators on April 10, Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin and Predators defenceman Mark Borowiecki got into a tussle, with both players repeatedly shoving each other. Malkin retaliated by slashing Borowiecki’s stick from his hands and cross-checking him in the face, which the NHL Department of Player Safety picked up. The head of the department, George Parros, subsequently handed Malkin a four-game suspension along with a $190,000 fine.
Pittsburgh Penguins Evgeni Malkin congratulates former teammate Alex Galchenyuk after a goal (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic).
This is only the second time in his entire career that Malkin has been suspended. The suspension is a two-fold issue for the Penguins; not only are they missing one of their best players, but the problems they finally solved at the deadline have cropped up again. However, in Malkin’s absence, the Penguins have done a remarkable job holding down the fort.
Penguins’ Second Line Thrown Into Disarray Once Again
The Penguins’ second forward line has been a topic of conversation all season long. Before the 2022 Trade Deadline, coach Mike Sullivan and general manager Ron Hextall were perplexed with how to handle the second line. Penguins management struggled to find solutions to Kasperi Kapanen’s scoring woes and kept slotting in different forwards before they found a permanent replacement in Rickard Rakell. Jason Zucker’s return from injury further complicated matters, as the Penguins suddenly needed to find a place for him once again.
Rickard Rakell, Pittsburgh Penguins (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Just as things seemingly fell into place for that line, Malkin was suspended, temporarily raising the metaphorical anchor and forcing Sullivan to experiment again. As of April 12, the second line consisted of centre Jeff Carter, Zucker, and Rakell. Malkin’s absence created a ripple…
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