Pittsburgh Penguins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins] forward Evgeni Malkin is set to miss some very important games. Malkin has been suspended for five games by the NHL's Department of Player Safety for slashing Buffalo Sabres [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres]defenseman Rasmus Dahlin in the head on Thursday. The slash came after Malkin took a couple of cross-checks from Dahlin. This is the third time that Malkin has been suspended. He received a one-game suspension in 2019 and a four-game suspension in 2022. Malkin will miss games against the Philadelphia Flyers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers], Boston Bruins, [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/boston-bruins] Carolina Hurricanes [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes], Vegas Golden Knights [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vegas-golden-knights], and Utah Mammoth [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/utah]. He won't be eligible to come back until Mar. 16 against the Colorado Avalanche [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/colorado-avalanche]. This suspension comes at a brutal time for the Penguins, who are in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race and are also without captain Sidney Crosby. Crosby returned to practice on Friday, but he won't play this weekend. Malkin has been having an outstanding season, compiling 13 goals and 47 points in 46 games. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwquDfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!
