Evgeni Malkin's 2 goals save Penguins in win over Lightning

Jason Mackey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Dec 4, 2025

Published in Hockey

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TAMPA, Fla. — Evgeni Malkin hadn't scored in this building since March 3, 2022. He certainly made up for lost time in a big way.

The Penguins even got a helping hand in the process.

After the Penguins blew a three-goal lead to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, Malkin picked up his second goal of the game at 17:17 of the third period, the first half of drama in a 4-3 Penguins win.

The second: It looked like the Lightning tied the game with under a minute to go, but Nikita Kucherov's goal was later waved off because of a hand pass on Brandon Hagel.

Suffice to say, Benchmark International Arena was not happy.

It's the first two-goal game this season for Malkin, who actually hadn't scored in his past five despite a terrific year.

Two power-play goals assured the Penguins (14-7-5) flew to Dallas happy thanks to their fourth win in the past five outings.

It was a much-needed change of pace for the Penguins in Tampa, as they had failed to score on 21 of their past 22 power plays.

After the Penguins had built a 3-0 lead in the second period, the Lightning began to chip away. Their push started with a terrific goal from Kucherov at 18:46, one where Guentzel created some space, Kucherov slipped behind Kevin Hayes, and defenseman Darren Raddysh made a terrific pass at the back post.

The Lightning continued those efforts with a power-play goal from Hagel at 1:17 of the third period, Tampa closing the gap to 3-2. Odd one, too, as Hagel picked up a pass off the boards and launched a shot from 43 feet that went off two bars and in.

Tampa continued to push and mounted a slew of chances in the third period. Tristan Jarry held the fort for a little while, but Hagel slipped past Parker Wotherspoon and picked up his second of the night at 11:44 of the third, tying the score.

Pittsburgh's second-period push started when Malkin tracked back to steal a puck from Hagel. Malkin's breakaway goal at 7:53 gave the Penguins a 2-0 lead.

It was the first goal for Malkin in five games, and it showed the type of offense Malkin is still capable of generating.

Speaking of skill, the Penguins showcased plenty of that on Kindel’s tip goal at 9:49 of the second.

The real beauty of the play was a shot-pass from Erik Karlsson — who’s playing as well as he has in years — at the point, the puck close enough to the ice that Kindel just had to keep his stick there and let it work.

How dominant has the Lightning’s penalty kill been?

It hadn’t allowed a power-play goal in eight games, a span of 24 opportunities. But the Penguins, who began the game with a 33.3% success rate, continue to flash the structure and puck movement that has made this group elite.

The Penguins amassed a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes thanks to Ville Koivunen's first NHL goal, which came at 6:12 and ended a stretch of 23 games without one dating back to last season.

After Koivunen won a puck along the left boards and played a little catch with Kris Letang at the point, he unleashed a terrific shot from the inner-edge of the left circle.

Koivunen beat Lightning goaltender Jonas Johansson over his catching glove at 6:12 of the opening period.

It was over when …

Kucherov’s would-be goal was waved off.

Stat of the game

3: The Penguins had lost three straight games to Tampa, getting outscored by a combined 14-5. In other words, they were due.

Around the boards

— Joona Koppanen was sick and didn’t make the trip, while Matt Dumba was a healthy scratch. Meaning the Penguins kept the same lineup from last game.

— Noel Acciari (upper-body) and Justin Brazeau (upper-body) participated in Thursday’s morning skate but were roughly 7-10 days from returning, Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas said on Wednesday night.

— Boko Imama chopped down a tree in the first period, squaring off with 6-foot-9, 242-pound left wing Curtis Douglas and not only winning the fight but taking his opponent to the ground. An impressive showing for Imama.

Up next

The Penguins are off on Friday before returning to practice on Saturday in Dallas. They’ll face the Stars on Sunday at American Airlines Center.