Malkin Shines; Penguins Tame Wild

Leave it to Penguins star Evgeni Malkin to put a new spin on an old Teddy Roosevelt quote. Rather than “speak softly and carry a big stick,” as the former U.S. President was fond of saying?

How about speak loudly and carry a big stick?

Days after expressing his disappointment with the team’s dismal play, Malkin paced the resurgent Penguins to a scintillating 4-3 victory over Minnesota with an inspired four-point performance that was vintage Geno.

After assisting on the first two black-and-gold goals, No. 71 shifted into overdrive. At 8:15 of the second period the Magnitogorsk native beat Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk with a wicked one-timer from the top of the left circle.

The power-play tally–Geno’s third of the season and the 100th of his career–set the stage for the coup de grace. Coming late on the play, Malkin gathered in a pretty feed from linemate Phil Kessel high in the Minnesota zone. Displaying a Lemieux-esque sleight of hand, the rangy Russian evaded Wild forward Mikael Granlund with a bit of “now-you-see-it, now-you-don’t” wizardry and ripped the puck past Dubnyk to trigger a frenzied celebration.

Afterward, the king of the highlight goals held court in a much happier Pens locker room.

“It was good luck tonight for me,” Malkin said. “I scored, got a couple assists. Every game is still a little bit different. Sometimes it’s a hard game. You hit a couple posts. You need to focus and play 60 minutes. Doesn’t matter what the score is.”

Clendening, Plotnikov Play

After watching from the press box for 13 straight games, defenseman Adam Clendening dressed for the second time this season. He replaced veteran Rob Scuderi, who sat out with an undisclosed illness.

Clendening made the most of his 11:50 of ice time. The mobile defender collected a second assist on Malkin’s game-winner, springing Kessel with a beautiful stretch pass from deep in the Penguins’ zone. The former Boston University star also registered a hit and two blocked shots. He finished the evening a plus-1.

Another frequent scratch–Sergei Plotnikov–filled in for Nick Bonino (illness). Flashing the aggression that made him a force (and fan favorite) in the KHL, the husky winger dished out three hits and drew a slashing minor.

Maatta Hurt

Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta suffered an upper-body injury midway through the contest. The Finnish defender tumbled awkwardly into the door in front of the Minnesota bench after being shoved from behind by Wild forward Nino Niederreiter.

Maatta writhed on the ice for several minutes in obvious pain. After being attended to by Pens trainer Chris Stewart, he was helped to the locker room and taken to a local hospital for evaluation.

It continues a string of misfortune for the 21-year-old defender, who’s overcome two shoulder surgeries and treatment for thyroid cancer during his brief NHL career.

While the exact nature of the injury wasn’t revealed, the team said it was not related to Maatta’s surgically repaired shoulder.

He’s expected to miss three to four weeks.