Evgeni Malkin Makes Triumphant Return To Penguins Lineup As Win Streak Continues

The Pittsburgh Penguins got a boost to the lineup as Evgeni Malkin returned from injury and made an immediate impact.

Pittsburgh hosted the New Jersey Devils on Thursday, and the Penguins cruised to a 4-1 win. The Penguins led 3-0 after the second period, as Pittsburgh cruised to a win. But the key part of Pittsburgh’s win was Malkin scoring on the power play to give the Penguins a 3-0 lead in his return to the lineup after missing the last 15 games due to an injury.

“More fun when you win,” Malkin said postgame on Thursday. “You see every line play amazing. Now, we have depth, all lines. Everybody back. No injuries. (Stuart) Skinner played amazing. Power play work, penalty kill work. Stay focused. Just play right. We know we have good guys here, a good group. We know how we play. Just have fun every night.”

Malkin said he didn’t play great as he missed some other chances, but his shoulder felt good, which is an encouraging sign after returning from injury.

The Penguins also extended their win streak to six games, and head coach Dan Muse believes the team has done a good job learning from the mistakes they made earlier this season.

“If I was to say one thing, in terms of (the) difference between these last six games and maybe the six to 10 games prior, it’s that,” Muse said. “It’s part of a season, too. You learn from the things that go well, and you learn from the things that don’t. And you keep moving forward.”

With the win, the Penguins improved to 21-12-9 and are holding onto the top Wild Card spot and are one point back of the Philadelphia Flyers for the third spot in the division. Pittsburgh will return to the ice on Saturday at home against the Calgary Flames.

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