Malkin Scores in First Game Back From Injury as Penguins Take Down Devils 4-1

Game Recap
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On Thursday, Jan. 8, the Pittsburgh Penguins hosted the New Jersey Devils for their second matchup of the season. While the Devils won the first game in the season series on Nov. 8, the Penguins have now tied it with their 4-1 win tonight.

Game Recap

Six minutes into the first period, Sidney Crosby passed the puck to Rickard Rakell in the neutral zone. He skated up to the net on a two-on-two with Erik Karlsson. He passed to Karlsson, whose shot bounced off the top of the net and in.

Early in the second, Connor Dewar took a seat for a high-stick on Timo Meier. The Penguins managed to kill the penalty, and as Dewar exited the box, he was in the neutral zone, and he received a pass from Rakell. He skated up to the net with no one defending him and sent the puck past Jake Allen.

17 minutes into the second, Meier took a seat for slashing Ryan Shea. 22 seconds later, Connor Brown took a seat for tripping Evgeni Malkin. With seconds remaining in the 5-on-3, Crosby received the puck from Karlsson. He passed it to Malkin, who was in the same spot Crosby had just been in. He fired the puck into the empty space Allen allowed as he hugged the post, giving the Penguins a three-goal lead.

Just a minute and a half into the final frame, Malkin took a seat for slashing Dougie Hamilton. On the extra-man advantage, Luke Hughes took a shot from the blue line, but Stuart Skinner made the initial save. Jack Hughes picked up the rebound and sent it back down to L. Hughes. He passed it to Hamilton, who sent it right back to L. Hughes. He fired another slap shot from the blue line and scored the Devils’ first goal of the night.

Evgeni Malkin Pittsburgh Penguins — Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin reacts after scoring a power play goal (Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)

Halfway into the third, the Devils tried to clear the puck from the Penguins’ zone, but Dewar kept it in and sent it around the boards. Allen picked it up and tried to pass it to Brenden Dillon. Instead, Noel Acciari picked it up and took a shot. His shot bounced off Allen’s pads and landed right in front of Blake Lizotte. He tipped the puck in for the Penguins’ fourth and final goal of the night.