An extremely frustrated Evgeni Malkin appeared at a press conference following the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 4-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night.
His teammates’ performance just hasn’t been there for two games, and he didn’t hesitate to make it known.
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“We better start playing better,” he said in comments via Josh Yohe of The Athletic. Play smarter. Play harder. It’s time to regroup. This evening? It was not good.”
“This game was just bad. I’m frustrated,” the Russian star added.
He says his team’s recent performances are even more concerning given that the Penguins face the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche, two Western Conference powers, on Tuesday and Thursday.
The same story from the Pens head coach, who noted after the meeting that his team “got what they deserved.”
This season, Malkin leads his club in scoring thanks to four goals and four assists in eight games. His team has had two wins and three defeats in five games since the start of the season.