Evgeni Malkin suspended four games for cross-checking
The NHL Department of Player Safety announced today that they suspended Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin four games for cross-checking Nashville Predator’s defenseman Mark Borowiecki.
Evgeni Malkin gets a 4-game suspension for cross-checking Mark Borowiecki.
Big one. That's half of #pens remaining games.
The incident occurred at the end of the second period in Sunday’s game between the Penguins and the Predators, when Malkin and Borowiecki got into a scrap in front of the net during play, and it reached a boiling point with Malkin swinging at Borowiecki with both hands and then cross-checking him in the face. Malkin has been suspended once before, getting a one-game ban in 2018-19 for high-sticking Philadelphia Flyers winger Michael Raffl. Tim Peel predicted a three-game suspension for Malkin earlier today due to his history, as well as the precedent set by Auston Matthews earlier this season, but also mentioned Malkin should probably get five, so this suspension falls right in the middle.
Malkin has been quietly having another really strong season, with 17 goals and 37 points in 37 games. It’s gone under the radar due to him missing the first three months of the season recovering from a knee surgery, but he’s been his typical self this season.
Sunday’s 3-2 overtime win was an important win for the Penguins, as they’d lost seven of their last nine games beforehand, including three times to the New York Rangers, their likely playoff opponent. The Pens sit in third in the Metropolitan Division with a 42-22-10 record, with the Washington Capitals behind by only four points with two games in hand. The Malkin suspension really hurts Pittsburgh at this stage of the season, as he will miss both upcoming home-and-homes the Penguins have with the New York Islanders and Boston Bruins.