The Pittsburgh Penguins stormed to another statement victory, this time over the Florida Panthers - and their two biggest stars made history in the process.
The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs are drawing nearer and nearer.
And with each passing day, the Pittsburgh Penguins are closer and closer to securing their ticket to the dance - and they're doing it in commanding fashion.
On Saturday, the Penguins played their first of back-to-back home games against the Florida Panthers, and their offense exploded for a 9-3 blowout win headlined by an Evgeni Malkin hat trick. Malkin and Sidney Crosby both hit major career milestones en route to the win, as Malkin became just the 23rd player in NHL history and third player in Penguins' history to record 1,400 points, and Crosby surpassed Detroit Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman to take sole possession of seventh on the NHL's all-time scoring list at 1,756.
"It feels like it's something every night," said forward Rickard Rakell, who registered his eighth goal in the past seven games Saturday. "But it's so exciting to watch them every day in practice and games and just have a chance to learn from them."
Lately, the Penguins have been getting off to fast starts, and that trend continued Saturday. Noel Acciari scored his 12th of the season just 20 seconds into the game to hand the Penguins a very early lead, and less than five minutes later, Erik Karlsson sent a one-time power play blast from the top of the right circle off a feed from Crosby to give his team the 2-0 advantage.
However, Florida did find a response, as A.J. Greer found the twine just two minutes later to cut the Penguins' lead to one. And with five and a half to go in the opening frame, Seth Jones shot a puck from the point that Rakell attempted to block with his hand, and the puck changed direction and ended up behind goaltender Arturs Silovs to knot the game at 2-2.
Then, the second period happened.
Once again, the Penguins had a loud start. But, this time, they just kept coming. Less than two minutes into the middle frame, Anthony Mantha threw a puck toward the goal from the right wall that hit a Florida stick on the way in and went past Sergei Bobrovsky to give him his 31st of the season and restore the Penguins' lead.
Exactly four minutes later, both Malkin and Crosby had their moment. From down low, Crosby found Karlsson at the right point on a power play opportunity, and he placed a perfect shot pass to a waiting Malkin on the doorstep, who deflected the puck into the net with the shaft of his stick. The secondary assist gave Crosby the point to surpass Yzerman, and the goal gave Malkin his 1,400th.
But Malkin wasn't done. Two and a half minutes later, the Penguins gained the zone on the rush, and Tommy Novak threw a puck at the net from the left wall. Malkin, again, was waiting on the doorstep, and it hit his leg and went in to make it 5-2.
Then, just a minute and a half after that, Elmer Soderblom scored his third as a Penguin to make it 6-2, capping off a stretch where the Penguins scored four goals and eight minutes and two seconds. The goal also chased Bobrovsky from the game, and he was replaced by Daniil Tarasov.
The Penguins still weren't done in the second period, though. Rakell added the Penguins' third power play tally of the game - his 22nd goal of the season - with a little more than two minutes left in the second, and Ryan Shea scored 19 seconds later to put the Penguins up by a comfortable 8-2 margin, capping off a six-goal second period.
Malkin's hat trick came three and a half minutes into the third period. He pickpocketed Florida defenseman Sam Benning right in front of Tarasov, and Malkin made a nice cross-crease reverse move to beat the netminder and secure the hat trick - as well as his team's ninth goal on the night.
Florida scored two more around the midway point of the third - one from Noah Gregor on a nice individual effort, and the other from Mackie Samoskevich - but the Penguins' offensive explosion was simply too high a mountain to climb.
For the third time in the last four games, the Penguins put up five or more goals, and this is the second time they've scored at least eight times within those four games. They have scored 25 goals in their last four games, and they're getting contributions from everyone.
And even if Saturday was Geno's night - and his teammates contributed a ton, too - they know they still have to come back ready for another fight Sunday against the same Panthers' team.
"We know Florida [has] lots of injury right now," Malkin said. "They [do] not play great, and we fight [for] playoffs. We are in different situations. We score the first two goals quickly, and the power play work tonight, we score three power-play goals.
"Everything works some nights. Like, you play the same, but the puck go in every shot. We see tomorrow, huge game tomorrow, because we know this team win two Cups in two years, and they fight tomorrow, for sure."
Here are some thoughts and takeaways from this one:
- This team has some warts. It is not a perfect team by any means. Silovs was not very sharp in this one despite the win, and in addition to better goaltending, they're still turning the puck over and giving up high-danger looks far too frequently.
But this offense is legitimately scary.
The only two teams in hockey that have scored more goals than the Penguins' 275 this season are the Tampa Bay Lightning (277) and Colorado Avalanche (285). Of course, the Penguins' 248 goals against are the third-highest mark in the Eastern Conference, too, and they'll need to clean that up if there is any hope of a playoff run.
However, I'm not sure there's a deeper forward group in hockey than the Penguins. Malkin is two goals away from 20, and if he hits that mark, the Penguins will already have six 20-goal scorers this season (Anthony Mantha, Crosby, Bryan Rust, Rakell, Egor Chinakhov) with the possibility of a couple more hitting the mark (Ben Kindel and Justin Brazeau have 17 each).
They also have 12 players with 12 or more goals and nine players with at least 15 goals - the highest total in the NHL - and both Karlsson and Connor Dewar have 14 goals, so that number could hit 11.
Do you remember the last time the Penguins had this kind of scoring depth in the Crosby era? I don't. I'm not sure they have.
This is a special, special offense. If they can clean up some of the rest, they'll be a tough opponent for anyone - especially if they stay this hot down the stretch.
- Somehow, Karlsson very quietly had a four-point game. That gives him 10 goals and 29 points in his last 20 games dating back to Feb. 28. In that same span, he is second only to New Jersey Devils' forward Jack Hughes in points. And it also gives him 14 goals and 64 points in 72 games on the season.
I mean, at this rate, this guy might finish near a point-per-game. What else can you say? He is in another stratosphere on some other planet right now, and no one in the league is operating at the level he currently is.
It's remarkable to watch. And if Penguins' fans are treated to playoff Karlsson... just wait.
- With a goal and two points on Saturday - according to Penguins PR - Rakell has a four-game goal-scoring streak and a seven-game point streak - both the longest active streaks in the NHL. He has points in 14 of his last 15 games and 11 goals and 21 points in those 15 games.
He's now up to 22 goals and 46 points in 56 games on the season, and - guess what? That's a 33-goal, 67-point pace - pretty similar to his 35-goal, 70-point campaign last season.
Rakell has been a monster for the Penguins, and - right now - he's making every single line he's part of better. He, Mantha, and Brazeau combined for four goals and eight points against the New York Islanders. He, Crosby, and Chinkahov had a pair of goals and four points against the Detroit Red Wings. And he, Malkin, and Novak combined for four goals and six points Saturday.
Behind Karlsson, Rakell has been their best and most important player in this stretch run, moving up and down the lineup and switching in and out of different positions. He's proving that he's very capable of repeating what most thought was an unrepeatable season in 2024-25, and he's a huge part of this team's success.
- Crosby looked much more himself in this game. He didn't explode off the scoresheet - and his milestone was certainly overshadowed by the night Malkin had - but this guy just continues to assert himself in the "Hockey Mount Rushmore" conversation.
Oh, and - by the way - he needs just one more point to clinch his 21st consecutive season at point-per-game or higher, which would pad his own NHL record of 20. Truly amazing stuff.
- Soderblom is finding his footing in Pittsburgh, and he has been very good in this last handful of games, registering two goals and five points in his last five.
But it's not just the production - in a fourth-line role, mind you - that stands out. He's a menace on the forecheck, he's playing physical, and he's using his size to win puck battles and overwhelm opponents. He also skates well for a guy who is 6-foot-9.
"Just feel like I'm playing more freely and playing without thinking too much," Soderblom said about playing in Pittsburgh. "And just play my game. And so far, I feel like it's worked pretty good."
To be honest, I'm not sure what you do when Blake Lizotte returns to the lineup. Soderblom, up to this point, has earned a permanent spot in it, and that means someone has to come out.
It will be interesting to see what happens.
- Because, on that note, how good has Acciari been for the Penguins this season?
One year ago, he was the whipping boy for a lot of disgruntled fans. But not only is he the same hard-nosed, get-your-hands-dirty player he's always been in terms of shot-blocking, physicality, and defensive zone prowess, he's also added some offense this season with 12 goals and 23 points - his highest totals since his career season with Florida (20 goals, 27 points) in 2019-20.
He is such an important player for them. He plays the hard minutes and does the "thankless" jobs for this team, as former head coach Mike Sullivan used to say. But the offensive element is helping them even more - and some of his goals have been big ones, too.
It's been a great season for him, and he's also earned a stay in the lineup.
- Well, it was a great night for the Penguins on the out-of-town scoreboard, too.
The Columbus Blue Jackets lost, 2-1, in regulation to the Winnipeg Jets. The Islanders lost in regulation, too, in a 4-3 final against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The math is looking pretty good for the Penguins. If they can beat Florida again Sunday, they're all but a lock at that point to make the playoffs.
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