Malkin Reaches 1,399 Career Points as Penguins Defeat Struggling Red Wings

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced a decisive 5-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings, with Egor Chinakov recording a goal and an assist in the commanding performance.

Evgeni Malkin returned to the lineup after missing time with an upper-body injury and contributed an assist. The veteran center hadn’t played since March 22.

Pittsburgh secured a first-period advantage that Detroit never threatened to overcome. Chinakov, Rickard Rakell, and Anthony Mantha all found the net in the opening frame.

The win followed Pittsburgh’s road victory over the New York Islanders the previous night. The Penguins remain in second place in the Metropolitan Division with seven games left in the regular season.

Justin Brazeau ended a 12-game goal drought for Pittsburgh.

Stuart Skinner stopped 22 shots to secure the victory. The Penguins played without veteran forward Bryan Rust, who was a late scratch with a lower-body injury.

Detroit’s Playoff Push Stalls

Detroit has dropped four of its last five games. The Red Wings were in first place in the Atlantic Division at the season’s midway point but now sit outside the Eastern Conference wild-card race.

Dylan Larkin scored for Detroit to reach the 30-goal plateau for the fifth consecutive season.

John Gibson, a Pittsburgh native, struggled early and was pulled after the first period. The goaltender fell to 6-10-1 all-time against his hometown team.

First Period Surge

Rakell opened the scoring just 4:10 into the first period. He ripped a shot from the slot that beat Gibson to extend his point streak to six games.

Rakell has seven goals during his current hot streak.

Malkin provided energy in his return from injury. The Russian star was part of a scrum at the Detroit net and helped set up Mantha’s goal at 8:34 of the first period.

Mantha, an 11-year veteran having the best season of his career, pumped in the rebound to make it 2-0. The assist pushed Malkin’s career point total to 1,399.

Chinakov completed the first-period scoring when his shot from just outside the left circle slipped by Gibson.

The 25-year-old forward has 28 points in 36 games with Pittsburgh since being acquired from Columbus in December. He’s recorded 15 goals and 13 assists during that span.