With his goal in the third period against the Buffalo Sabres, Evgeni Malkin recorded his 500th career goal, becoming the 48th player in NHL history to hit the 500-goal milestone.
Malkin is the first player to do so in the last two seasons. The most recent players to hit the 500-goal mark were former Tampa Bay Lightning and current Nashville Predators center Steven Stamkos, who achieved the feat in Jan. 2023, and the Penguins’ own Sidney Crosby, who reached the milestone in Feb. 2022. Malkin is the fourth active player to celebrate No. 500 alongside Stamkos, Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, who notched his milestone goal in Jan. 2016.
Currently, the only other active players within range of the milestone are the Detroit Red Wings’ Patrick Kane (471 goals) and the Toronto Maple Leafs’ John Tavares (457 goals).
🚨 Evgeni Malkin scores career goal #500! #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/23NpynK0dm
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) October 17, 2024
Malkin is just the 20th player in NHL history to score 500 goals with one team. The Penguins and the Montreal Canadiens are the only NHL teams with three 500-goal scorers in their history. Mario Lemieux, of course, was the first Penguin to do it.
Among players born in Russia, only Malkin and Ovechkin have topped 500 goals.
