OT goal provides highlight for Penguins' Evgeni Malkin during 'tough time'

NEW YORK — Five-on-five scoring has been somewhat rare for Evgeni Malkin as of late.

Of the 20 goals he scored during the regular season, only nine came at even strength.

And sure enough, it took him a while to score his first five-on-five goal of the postseason.

But then again, he had 105 minutes and 58 seconds to find that score Tuesday.

Malkin’s goal at 5:58 of the sixth period gave the Pittsburgh Penguins a 4-3 triple-overtime win against the New York Rangers in Game 1 of their first-round postseason series at Madison Square Garden.

Redirecting a point shot by defenseman John Marino, Malkin supplied his team with a stunning victory in the fifth-longest game in the franchise’s postseason history.

“The whole team (feels) good right now,” Malkin said. “We played (a) physical, hard game. We give credit to New York. They played unbelievable, too. We know it’s not easy tonight.”

Malkin’s words after Tuesday’s game — which ended 11 minutes before Wednesday started — were his first public comments in more than two months.

He has remained silent since Russia, his home country, invaded Ukraine and touched off a war Feb. 24 that has extracted an incalculable human cost.

Penguins officials had declined to make him available to media until Tuesday night.

Malkin was asked about the ongoing strife in Ukraine and any personal effect it has had on him. He avoided addressing the war in a direct fashion.

He did offer a quip on a four-game suspension he incurred April 11 for delivering a cross check to Nashville Predators defenseman Mark Borowiecki on April 10.

That act cost him $190,000 in salary.

“It’s not easy,” Malkin said. “World is crazy right now. I have a tough time. I have a suspension for a couple of games. It’s not easy for me. Lots of money (that) I lost. Now, I have fun and we have fun. When you play, you forget everything. It’s the best time to step on the ice and do it.”

Malkin had a hard time in the 2021 postseason. During the Penguins’ first-round loss to the New York Islanders, a badly damaged right knee limited him to four of a possible six games.

While he was one of the Penguins’ top producers in that series, he basically was skating on one leg. The injury was so severe, it required surgery days after the Penguins season came to an end.

“He’s a driven athlete,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “He sees the opportunity that we have in front of us. He sees the team that we have the capability of this group. And I think he’s excited about it. The way I know (Malkin), he plays his best when the stakes are high. He’s proven that over and over again.

“The career that he’s built to this point speaks for itself. He’s a generational talent. He’s a guy when you watch him play, I think he’s one of those guys that when he gets on a big stage like this, it doesn’t faze him. He has a certain composure. He has a certain confidence in himself and the team. And he wants to win.”

Where Malkin might play next season is a matter of speculation.

He is in the final year of an eight-year contract and could sign elsewhere as a pending unrestricted free agent.

Neither Malkin nor Penguins management have offered much insight, publicly at least, on where discussions on a potential contract extension stand.

He has far more immediate concerns.

“I (don’t) think right now about my contract,” Malkin said. “It’s time to have fun, play games. I missed (half of the regular) season. It was a tough injury for myself. I’m focused right now to do my best. I still feel like I can do everything on the ice.”

Follow the Penguins all season long.