Malkin Shines in Return

It would have been understandable if Penguins center Evgeni Malkin played a tentative game against the Tampa Bay Lighting after missing the last four games due to concussion symptoms.

All he did was score an amazing highlight reel goal, setup the game-winner by James Neal, and register 5 shots on goal.

The Penguins opened the scoring in the first period taking a 1-0 lead on a goal by Chris Kunitz, his 12th of the season, backing into a soft area of the defense in the slot for a cross-ice one-timer that Lightning starting goaltender Mathieu Garon had little chance of stopping.

Tampa Bay would lose Garon just 2:19 into the second period after making an outstanding blocker save on Malkin, it appeared he injured his knee or groin. Anders Lindback would come in and though he struggled with the puck in the period, he held the fort for the Lightning.

Just 20 seconds after Garon went off, Victor Hedman and Martin St. Louis would push the puck into traffic around the net and Steven Stamkos bulled his way into the crease area to tip the puck behind Fleury for the game-tying goal.

While Tampa controlled most of the period, they would only be able to get a one-goal lead as a Nate Thompson shot would deflect off the face of Tom Pyatt and flutter over Marc-Andre Fleury.

In the third, Malkin would intercept a pass from defensemen Eric Brewer at the blue line, race down the right-wing to the left of the face-off dot and just as Brewer dove to knock the puck away from him, Malkin felt the pressure by Matt Carle and cut to the slot between the two players and sweep the puck by Lindback for the game-tying goal.

Sidney Crosby would get the lead back for the Penguins as Kris Letang worked himself from behind the net and just as Kunitz did, Crosby would slip into the slot down low for a one-timer.

Neal would get the empty netter setup by Malkin and Stamkos finished the scoring with eight seconds left for the Penguins 4-3 win and 15th win on the season. It was also the 14th time in 23 games the Penguins gave up three goals or more.