Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin suspended five games for slashing Sabres’ Rasmus Dahlin
Evgeni Malkin will be forced to miss some time for the Penguins, as the NHL Department of Player Safety announced that the Pittsburgh Penguins center will be suspended five games for slashing Rasmus Dahlin during Thursday’s 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.
Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin has been suspended for five games for slashing Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin. nhl.com/video/topic/pl…
The infraction came early in the second period of the game when Malkin and Dahlin were engaging each other by the net in the Sabres’ defensive zone. While innocent at first, tensions rose when Malkin took a two-handed swing with his stick to the side of Dahlin’s head and then grabbed at his head. When Dahlin pushed Malkin off, the Russian attempted to drop the globes and start a fight, but the Sabres defenseman was not interested, and officials stepped in to stop the shenanigans.
Malkin received a two-minute minor penalty for cross-checking, a five-minute major penalty for slashing and a 10-minute game misconduct penalty on the infraction. Dahlin also got a two-minute penalty for cross-checking, offsetting the two minors, but the Sabres still had a five-minute power play. The Sabres used the power play to get the eventual game-winner, as Josh Norris’ goal gave the team a 2-1 lead.
The DoPS cited the intent behind Malkin’s slash on Dahlin and his history of stick-related infractions as the main reasons for the severity of his suspension. He has been suspended twice in his career and fined four times, with all but one of those infractions being stick-related, including another fine earlier this season for slashing Winnipeg Jets defenseman Logan Stanley.
Aside from when he missed 15 games in December and January due to an upper-body injury, Malkin has had a resurgent season with 13 goals, 34 assists and 47 points in 46 games. If Malkin continues to produce at this pace, it will be the 16th season of his career that has seen him produce at above a point-per-game pace.
The suspension comes at a tough time for the Penguins, as captain Sidney Crosby is currently out with a lower-body injury which he sustained at the 2026 Winter Olympic games, leaving Pittsburgh very shallow down the middle. However, Crosby was seen skating today, indicating he could be closer to a return, but the Penguins will still be without both centers for a bit.
The Penguins currently sit in second in the Metropolitan Division with a 31-17-13 record. They’ll look to bounce back from back-to-back losses without Malkin when they host the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET.