Malkin shines in 700th game; Mark Streit scores game-winner
Evgeni Malkin skated in his 700th NHL game on Friday and he celebrated the feat by almost single-handedly beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-2. The Lightning scored the first goal of the game in the second period, but Malkin tied it 2:21 seconds later. The goal came on a pretty tic-tac-toe play during a man advantage that saw the puck go from Justin Schultz to Phil Kessel to Malkin. Malkin finished another Kessel pass 8:10 later to put the Penguins in front. He finished the game with two goals, one assist and four shots while winning 54 percent of his faceoffs.
Malkin, who鈥檚 now in his 11th season in Pittsburgh, got a little nostalgic when he was asked about the milestone.
鈥淚鈥檓 older every year,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a good experience. I鈥檓 glad I play here and I鈥檓 glad I play on this team. I鈥檓 a lucky guy. I came to the NHL and signed a long contract with the Penguins. Unbelievable group. Unbelievable organization.鈥�
Drouin burns the Penguins鈥� again
Certain players just find ways to torment specific teams. Jonathan Drouin does that to the Penguins almost every time he plays them. The 21-year-old had played the Penguins 12 times entering Friday, rolling up eight goals, two assists, 10 points and 27 shots. He added to those totals by setting up Nikita Kucherov鈥檚 game-tying goal early in the third period and putting four shots on net. The Penguins still managed to pick up the victory, but that could have spun things in the Lightning鈥檚 direction.
Streit back in the lead
Mark Streit made his Penguins debut and skated with Ron Hainsey. He seemed to mesh almost immediately with his new team and scored the game-winning goal during a delayed penalty at 1:28 in the third period after Kucherov tied it moments earlier. He added an assist on a Justin Schultz goal to finish with two points, four shots, two blocks and a plus-1 rating.
Coach Mike Sullivan was impressed right away.
鈥淚 thought he was real good,鈥� Sullivan said. 鈥淵ou can see his hockey sense. He鈥檚 a really smart hockey player. He鈥檚 positionally sound. You can tell he鈥檚 played a lot of years in the league. He鈥檚 just a real smart player. Because of that his energy is spent in an efficient manner. He knows when to join the rush.鈥�
Ruhwedel earning the right to play when everyone is healthy?
It鈥檚 always good to find silver linings and defenseman Chad Ruhwedel might be just that. He got his chance to jump into the lineup earlier this season thanks to the many injuries that have plagued the Penguins鈥� blue line and his play is opening eyes. He didn鈥檛 get on the score sheet Friday against the Lightning, but he turned in a very solid 15:29 minutes of work. He rolled up four shots, one hit and two blocks. He was on the ice for a goal against, but that was more to do with Ian Cole getting caught below the goal line. Players like Ruhwedel, Hainsey, and Streit are going to make it very hard on Sullivan when it comes time to take players out of the lineup.
Schultz breaks 40-points for first time
Defenseman Justin Schultz has been one of the best stories in the NHL this season and his tale continued against the Lightning. Schultz picked up an assist on Malkin鈥檚 first goal to push him to 40 points on the season. After scoring a goal later in the game, he sits at 41 points for the season. It鈥檚 the first time Schultz has hit the 40-point plateau during his NHL career.