Evgeni Malkin was suspended for four games without pay for checking Nashville’s Mark Borowiecki in the face, a major blow to the Pittsburgh Penguins as they hope to maintain their playoff position.
Malkin will miss upcoming games against the New York Islanders and Boston Bruins after the NHL’s Player Safety Division announced the suspension following a disciplinary hearing on Monday. In a video explaining the suspension, the league called Malkin’s cross-checking “retaliatory and aggressive.”
Malkin initially received just a four-minute minor double penalty after hitting Borowiecki in the mouth with his racquet late in Sunday’s second period.
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“It’s an emotional game out there,” coach Mike Sullivan told reporters after the game. “It’s physical, and sometimes that kind of thing happens. It was a physical game, especially on the net fronts in the areas where that was happening.
“Obviously we don’t want our best players in the box but these guys are competitive guys and they push back. We’d rather have them on the ice. They give us a better chance when they’re on the ice, sure. But one of the things we love about Geno is how competitive he is, and when you experience an emotional game like today’s, those things happen.”
This is Malkin’s second suspension following a one-game suspension for high-sticking in 2019. He has been fined three times. This suspension will cost him $190,000 in salary.
He is eligible to return against Detroit on April 23.
The Penguins beat the Predators in overtime to score a four-game sled. They’ve lost seven of their last 10 games and are in danger of falling from third place in the Metropolitan Division to an Eastern Conference wildcard spot.
Malkin missed the first 34 games of the season while rehabilitating after knee surgery. Since his season debut on Jan. 11, the 35-year-old Russia center has been a points-a-game player with 17 goals and 20 assists in 37 games.