Recap
The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 5-3 in a very eventful night at the United Center.
Before the game, the Blackhawks honored former player Marian Hossa by retiring his number 81 during a 90-minute pregame ceremony that delayed the game by almost half an hour.
During the warmups, the Penguins did Evgeni Malkin’s hilarious pregame routine, making for one of the funniest moments in NHL history.
Once the game eventually got going, the Pens didn’t waste any time, as forward Brock McGinn would score just over a minute in to give the Pens a 1-0 lead.
Just over two minutes into the second period, the man of the hour, Evgeni Malkin, potted home his 452nd career goal to make it 2-0 for the Pens. Just under two minutes later, forward Rickard Rakell would extend the lead to 3-0 for the Pens. Just over nine minutes into the second, forward Jujhar Khaira would get the Blackhawks on the board and make the score 3-1. At 16:36, forward Patrick Kane would put the Blackhawks within one and make the score 3-2.
At 15:49 of the third period, forward Philipp Kurashev would tie the game up at 3-3 for the Blackhawks. Fifty-seven seconds later, captain Sidney Crosby got the Penguins back up front to make it 4-3. With 17 seconds left, Jeff Carter would seal the deal with an empty net goal to make it 5-3 for the Pens.
Crosby had a goal and three assists, Rakell had a goal and assist, and goalie Casey DeSmith made 29 saves for the Pens, who are now 9-7-2 and have three straight wins. The Pens swept their three-game road trip and have won their last 5 of 7. Goalie Arvid Soderblom made 20 saves for the Blackhawks, who are 6-9-3 and have lost their last four games.
Crosby recorded 10 points, including three goals and seven assists, during the Pens’ game road trip.
Evgeni Malkin Celebrates 1,000 Games
In his career, Evgeni Malkin has always been looked at as the “second guy,” or someone who’s been forgotten about, left in the background if you will. From being drafted second overall behind Alex Ovechkin to always being behind Sidney Crosby on the Penguins. From being left off the NHL’s Top 100 players list to even last night, when the big story was Marian Hossa’s jersey retirement in Chicago.
Not only that but he’s also been hurt a lot and has spent most of his career not seeing his family. Because of Russian travel rules, his father and brother can only spend a few months in the US each year. In contrast, his wife Anna and son Nikita spend time between Pittsburgh and Miami, where Malkin has a summer home, and Nikita attends school with other Russian-speaking children. Nikita and Anna made the trip to Chicago to surprise Geno and be with him during his special night.
Geno re-signed with the Pens this off-season because he wanted to finish his career with the Pens and because he believed he could become the first Russian in NHL history to win four Stanley Cups with the Pens. Malkin became the eighth Russian to ever play in 1,000 NHL games.
I got the privilege to meet Evgeni Malkin in 2010 when I was a patient at The Children’s Institute in Pittsburgh. Malkin’s kindness and generosity during that day were something I’ll never forget. Talking to him and seeing him in person was outstanding. I still have several signed memorabilia from him in my house.
As a person who has been “in the background” for most of his career, he deserves one big ovation when the Penguins return to Pittsburgh on Tuesday night to take on the Flames. What Geno has done for the city has been awesome, and I’m more than thankful for him to be on the Pens.
Stanley Cup Aspirations – Cue’ the Duck Boats Pod
Discover more from Inside The Rink
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Malkin has always been my favorite player. He is such a good person and player. I wish him the best