DETROIT — Evgeni Malkin scored twice Saturday at Little Caesars Arena as he returned from his time in exile to help the Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings, 7-2.
Saturday's victory put Pittsburgh two points ahead of Washington for third place in the Metropolitan Division. The Capitals, idle Saturday, have a game in hand.
Malkin rejoined the Pittsburgh lineup after missing the past four games due to a suspension, doled out after he cross-checked Nashville's Mark Borowiecki in the mouth on April 10. Malkin got a dozen days off during his ban. Mike Sullivan felt Malkin getting a little rest before the playoffs was a silver lining.
The 35-year-old got his first goal on the man advantage, the area where he's been most impactful. He slammed a loose puck sitting in the blue paint past Thomas Greiss in the second period. Nine of his 19 goals this season are the power play.
However, despite those fresh legs, he was mostly a non-factor at 5-on-5. That has been a recurring theme for him since returning from knee injury. Malkin didn't have a single high-danger scoring chance in the win, per Natural Stat Trick. His second goal came in garbage time, making it 7-2 with 26 remaining in the game.
Malkin's return meant that the Penguins for the first time this season had their full complement of forwards. Brian Boyle was the odd man out in Detroit.
The new-look fourth line of Brock McGinn, Teddy Blueger and Evan Rodrigues had a productive first period. Strong plays on the wall by McGinn and Blueger created a good look for Rodrigues, who couldn't convert. During their next shift, they won a battle in the corner then Blueger found Chad Ruhwedel at the back door.
Less than two minutes later, Sidney Crosby finished off a give-and-go with Rickard Rakell to put the Penguins up, 2-0. With his pretty pass, Rakell notched his seventh assist in the past six games, most spent skating on Crosby's right wing.
The Red Wings got a power-play goal from Jakub Vrana late in the first then tied the score just 17 seconds into the second period. On that play, Kris Letang's pinch was unsuccessful and Michael Rasmussen scored on the ensuing 2-on-1.
That was the first of a few sloppy plays for the Penguins during that period. Casey DeSmith poked one puck right to the Red Wings but bailed himself out. Danton Heinen had a brutal giveaway at his offensive blue line that led to a breakaway. Another breakdown forced DeSmith to make a sprawling save on Joe Veleno.
After stopping all 52 shots he faced in Thursday's 4-0 win against the Boston Bruins, DeSmith got his third straight start in place of the injured Tristan Jarry, who is out with a broken foot. He made 23 saves Saturday, the most impactful being the one on Veleno. Because moments later, Letang scored to make it 4-2.
Malkin then got his power-play goal, just the second for the Penguins in April.
After Alex Nedeljkovic replaced Greiss for the third period, Heinen scored for the fourth time in five games. Malkin scored again late. All four lines provided a goal.
Malkin is the player most critical to the team's Cup hopes going forward. Not the plucky backup goalie thrust between the pipes. Not a struggling blueliner such as Brian Dumoulin. Not Jason Zucker or another middle-six question mark.
The Penguins under Sullivan hope to be an aggressive team that is relentless in their puck pursuit and rolls line after line after line after line at the opposition.
But if their second line continues to be a net negative at 5-on-5, which has often been the case when Malkin has played this season, that will torpedo that plan. Not only do they have less firepower in their bottom six than other Eastern contenders, but that would allow opponents to load up to defend Crosby's line.
Plus, there's the notion, which might not be backed by statistical evidence, that when Malkin plays high-risk hockey, it permeates the rest of the roster.
The center had a giveaway in the defensive end that led to an anxious moment. On the forecheck, he often took circuitous routes to the puck-carrier. And in the zone, he had a hard time connecting with his linemates, Zucker and Bryan Rust.
Malkin now has three games left to get into a groove before the postseason.
Pittsburgh will play its final road game of the season Sunday in Philadelphia.
