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Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin lost his cool during the second period of the team’s 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday at PPG Paints Arena, and slashed Rasmus Dahlin across the face.
After the whistle blew just 38 seconds in the second period, Dahlin and Malkin engaged in some extra circular activities. Dahlin cross-checked Malkin, and the Penguins star responded by bringing his stick up and whacking Dahlin across the face.
After slashing Dahlin, Malkin wrapped up Dahlin behind the head. The pair was eventually separated.
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Rasmus Dahlin (26) of the Buffalo Sabres argues with Evgeni Malkin (71) of the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG PAINTS Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on March 5, 2026. (Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images)
Dahlin received a cross-checking penalty for his infraction while Malkin received a penalty for cross-checking, a five-minute major for slashing and was ejected from the game.
Penguins head coach Dan Muse didn’t comment on Malkin’s penalty after the game.
“He’s obviously a catalyst for our team,” said Bryan Rust, who scored Pittsburgh’s only goal. “He drives a lot of play and creates a lot of offense. He’s an unbelievable player, so it’s unfortunate.”
Pittsburgh Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin (71) skates during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on March 5, 2026. (Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo)
Sabres forward Josh Norris scored on the power play from Malkin’s penalty to make it 2-1, and the Sabres never looked back after that.
Malkin, who has been suspended twice in his career, has a hearing with the NHL’s Player Safety Department on Friday. Malkin was suspended one game for high-sticking Philadelphia Flyers’ Michael Raffl in February 2019, and four games in April 2022 for cross-checking Nashville Predators’ Mark Borowiecki.
“Hopefully, he served his time (Thursday) and that’s it,” defenseman Erik Karlsson said. “He’s a big part of this team. He’s been playing great hockey and gives us a different dimension to our offensive game.”
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Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) skates with the puck during the first period in the NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres on March 5, 2026, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Malkin’s 10-game home points streak ended Thursday. He has 13 goals and 47 points in 46 games. The Penguins are currently without Sidney Crosby due to an injury he sustained during the Olympics and have been relying on Malkin to pick up the slack.
Losing Malkin to a suspension for any period of time would be a blow to the Penguins.
“I think we’ve shown throughout the year that we’re a pretty deep team,” Karlsson said. “We miss both of those guys, but it’s nothing that we haven’t done before.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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