Pittsburgh Penguins at Colorado Avalanche
· National Hockey League
Malkin gets 2 goals in his return from suspension as the Penguins beat the NHL-leading Avalanche 7-2
Malkin's punishment from the NHL was for raising his stick and striking Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin on the helmet and shoulder during their game on March 5. The 39-year-old Malkin has been suspended three times in his career.
Anthony Mantha, Elmer Soderblom, Erik Karlsson, Bryan Rust and Noel Acciari also scored for the Penguins, who matched their season high for goals on just 20 shots while playing for the 11th straight game without star center Sidney Crosby. Pittsburgh's leading scorer, who sustained a lower-body injury while playing for Canada in the Winter Olympics last month, has been skating with the team during this five-game trip that wraps up Wednesday.
Karlsson added two assists and has three goals and 11 assists in his last 10 games for the Penguins, who moved two points ahead of the New York Islanders for sole possession of second place in the Metropolitan Division.
Nathan MacKinnon and Brent Burns scored for the Avalanche, who matched their most goals allowed in a game this season. Scott Wedgewood, the league leader in save percentage and goals-against average, was pulled 13 minutes in after falling behind 3-1 on five shots. Wedgewood was replaced by Mackenzie Blackwood, who made 11 saves.
Colorado has lost three of four and leads Dallas in both the Central Division and overall NHL standings by three points. The Avalanche have one game in hand on the Stars.
Colorado hosts Dallas on Wednesday.
Regular Season SeriesPIT leads series 1-0
Scoring Summary
 |
Goal | 1st Period 3:01 | Evgeni Malkin Goal (14) Backhand, assists: Bryan Rust (28), Noel Acciari (10) |
 |
Goal | 1st Period 4:08 | Nathan MacKinnon Goal (45) Wrist Shot, assists: Martin Necas (50), Cale Makar (49) |
|
Goal | 1st Period 4:23 | Anthony Mantha Goal (26) Backhand, assists: Erik Karlsson (41) |
|
Goal | 1st Period 13:00 | Evgeni Malkin Goal (15) Wrist Shot, assists: Egor Chinakhov (14), Parker Wotherspoon (20) |
|
Goal | 1st Period 13:43 | Elmer Soderblom Goal (3) Snap Shot, assists: Connor Dewar (12), Erik Karlsson (42) |
|
Goal | 1st Period 14:21 | Brent Burns Goal (10) Snap Shot, assists: Gavin Brindley (7), Josh Manson (23) |
|
Goal | 2nd Period 10:36 | Erik Karlsson Goal (7) Wrist Shot, assists: Ryan Shea (24) |
|
Goal | 2nd Period 16:20 | Bryan Rust Goal (25) Wrist Shot, assists: Evgeni Malkin (35), Rickard Rakell (19) |
|
Goal | 3rd Period 9:06 | Noel Acciari Goal (9) Wrist Shot, assists: Elmer Soderblom (2), Connor Dewar (13) |
Statistics
 PIT |
 COL |
|
|---|---|---|
| 19 | Blocked Shots | 12 |
| 19 | Hits | 11 |
| 5 | Takeaways | 4 |
| 20 | Shots | 27 |
| 1 | Power Play Goals | 0 |
| 3 | Power Play Opportunities | 4 |
| 33.3 | Power Play Percentage | 0.0 |
| 0 | Short Handed Goals | 0 |
| 0 | Shootout Goals | 0 |
| 28 | Faceoffs Won | 29 |
| 49.1 | Faceoff Win Percent | 50.9 |
| 18 | Giveaways | 16 |
| 6 | Total Penalties | 5 |
| 15 | Penalty Minutes | 13 |
Colorado Avalanche Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Valeri Nichushkin, RW | Out | May 26 |
Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Caleb Jones, D | Injured Reserve | Apr 5 |
| Filip Hallander, C | Injured Reserve | Feb 27 |
Game Information
Ball Arena
Location: Denver, CO
Attendance: 18,121 | Capacity:
Location: Denver, CO
Attendance: 18,121 | Capacity:
2025-26 Metropolitan Division Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PTS | OTL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Carolina |
7 | 22 | 113 | 53 |
 Pittsburgh |
16 | 25 | 98 | 41 |
 Philadelphia |
12 | 27 | 98 | 43 |
 Washington |
9 | 30 | 95 | 43 |
 Columbus |
12 | 30 | 92 | 40 |
 NY Islanders |
5 | 34 | 91 | 43 |
 New Jersey |
3 | 37 | 87 | 42 |
 NY Rangers |
9 | 39 | 77 | 34 |
