DENVER — Evgeni Malkin scored twice in a four-goal first period and added an assist in his return from a five-game suspension for slashing, sparking the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 7-2 victory over the league-leading Colorado Avalanche on Monday night.
Malkin's punishment from the NHL was for raising his stick and striking Buffalo Sabres defenceman 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.
"A little bit nervous when you miss five games and I'm like play(ing) against Colorado here at home," said Malkin post-game while speaking to reporters. "I'm a little bit nervous before the game but when (I) scored (the) first goal I feel better so much. It's a big mistake for me, five games, but the guys played well. I want to say thank you to (my) teammates. It's a bad moment for me, but I look forward to the future. I just want to play, and I hope never again."
Asked whether he believed the league's punishment was fair, Malkin said the rules can be hard to understand and compared his situation to the recent five-game suspension given to Radko Gudas for a knee-on-knee hit that ended Auston Matthews' season.
"It's hard, Matthews is out probably long term and Gudas got five games. I know I have bad history, as they say, I have slashed before but again no injury. I think if guy don't have injury maybe a little bit less, maybe three games," Malkin said. "Same with goalie interference, probably coach (have) no idea sometimes... here (it's a) big line between three games and five games, you know.
"But I try to forget that, a bad memory for me but I look forward. Good game tonight but I don't want to go back to jail."
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 centre 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.
-- With files from Sportsnet Staff
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