Penguins, Malkin flex in powerful offensive outburst win

Penguins Avalanche Hockey Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin waits for play to resume in the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Colorado Avalanche Monday, March 16, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) (David Zalubowski/AP)

By Dan Kingerski, PGHHockeyNOW.com

PITTSBURGH — This article originally appeared on PGHHockeyNOW.

The Pittsburgh Penguins(34-18-15) scored four goals in the first period and chased Colorado Avalanche (44-13-9) starting goalie Scott Wedgewood just four minutes into the game. And Penguins star forward Evgeni Malkin returned from a five-game suspension and submitted an opening act quintessential to the essence of his illustrious 20-year career.

Malkin took a penalty on the first shift, then scored a pair of beautiful goals, and yet the game was far from decided. The Penguins were outshot 18-7 in the first period but led 4-2.

But a pair of second-period goals and more Malkin offensive push put the game away for a 7-2 Penguins win at Ball Arena Monday.

The Penguins are now 2-1-1 in the first four games of their five-game road trip.

Click here to read more on PGHHockeyNOW.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW