The Pittsburgh Penguins have waited for what feels like forever to get their superstar back in the lineup. After missing the entirety of the season so far due to a knee injury, Evgeni Malkin plays hockey tonight. His first opponent will be the Anaheim Ducks, starting at 10 pm eastern.
GENO’S BACK! @emalkin71geno will make his season debut tonight in Anaheim! pic.twitter.com/OEJShbq2T8
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 11, 2022
Evgeni Malkin is Back On the Ice For Pittsburgh
The longtime Penguins forward has a lot of history with the club. Unfortunately, his career has been riddled with injuries. He’s only played a full 82 game season twice in his career, with multiple seasons under 50 games played. Nevertheless, he’s always a positive force when he’s on the ice. Last season, while only playing 33 games, he racked up 28 points in the form of eight goals and 20 assists. His advanced numbers are off the charts as well. He’s never had a season with a relative Corsi in the negatives. As a matter of fact, he’s never had a season with a relative Corsi below a 9.0. Only once has it dropped below 10.0, and his Corsi For percentages are usually around 60%. In his 15 year career, the veteran has played in 940 games, scoring 424 goals and dishing out 680 assists to combine for 1104 points.
New Threats Mean More Offence
The Penguins’ offence has been kept afloat by only a few players. These would be Jake Guentzel (34 points), Evan Rodrigues (30 points), Kris Letang (28 points), and Sidney Crosby (24 points). With some help from the supporting cast, Pittsburgh currently sits at 11th in goals for in the league, with 112. They currently sit comfortably in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division, in the first wild card position.
However, with Evgeni Malkin returning to the lineup, the Penguins increase their scoring capabilities. Malkin is one of those special players that always finds the open man who can create a quality scoring chance. Not only that, but he can light the lamp as well. If this team stays healthy through the remainder of the season, they could steal a top three spot in the Metro come spring.
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