Malkin, Crosby score in 3rd, Penguins beat Coyotes 4-1

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) – Evgeni Malkin starts to get his game back, which means problems for the Pittsburgh Penguins’ opponents.

Malkin put up a tie with 7:24 left and Sidney Crosby added some goals in the Penguins’ 4-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday.

“His last three games have been his best since he’s back,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said of Malkin. The Russian center has not scored in his last six games and has scored 11 goals and 27 games this season after missing the first three months while recovering from offseason surgery on his right knee.

Malkin was stopped on a drive into the net against Scott Wedgewood, but eventually the puck corrected and chipped. He was particularly excited, as were the many Penguins fans among the 14,507 for the matinee.

“He likes to score. There are not too many people who are more excited about shooting goals,” Sullivan said. “But he’s also a really competitive guy.”

Crosby picked up a rebound from Jake Guentzel’s shot to score with 3:37 left and added an empty goal with 1:50 left, giving him 22 goals for the season.

The Penguins beat the Coyotes 48-21 for the game, but had trouble finding the net. That includes a two-man advantage around the second break; Barrett Hayton was called up for hooking with 59 seconds to play in the second and, with 26 seconds to go, the basement was sent off for a trip. But the penguins did little, especially at the beginning of the third period.

“I thought we did a good job, just moving on and creating more opportunities,” Crosby said. “A lot of times, if you don’t score at 5 on 3, there may be a difference in the game, but I thought we could just stay with them and we could get that big one (from Malkin).”

Pittsburgh returns home after a three-game trip. The penguins lost in Nashville and had a st.

“The biggest thing that separates most teams at this point is consistency,” Crosby said. “Everyone knows what their game looks like after 60 games. We are in a good place now, but we have to keep getting better.”

Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby (87) blocked his shot from Arizona Coyotes goalkeeper Scott Wedgewood (31) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, March 19, 2022, in Glendale, Ariz.

Kasperi Kapanen also scored for Pittsburgh. Clayton Keller shot for Arizona. Penguins goalkeeper Tristan Jarry recorded his 31st win of the season.

Arizona played at home for the first time after winning four of five on a trip to the East.

“We didn’t have much, honestly,” Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny said. “We have no pop, no fight, no execution. Our decisions were slow, by the coaches, players, everyone. It’s disappointing.”

The captain scored his 10th goal of the season 2:09 in the second period on a pass from Jeff Carter over the slot.

Keller split the defense and shot his 27th with 8:32 in the second, with the puck past Jarry. Anton Stralman hired an assistant.

He extended his scoring streak to eight games, best for Arizona this season. He has six goals and nine assists in that stretch.

Keller left the game in the third period with an unknown injury, but Tourigny said he is fine and should be available for Sunday.

SIDELINE

Penguins: F Zach Aston-Reese (illness) and F Brock McGinn (upper body) missed Saturday’s game.

Coyotes: D Jakob Chychrun (lower body) misses his third straight game.

ICE CHIPS

Penguins: Won eight consecutive wins against Arizona by November 7, 2017. … Pittsburgh is 21-7-4 on the road, best in the NHL.

Coyotes: Their 38 goals in March lead the league. … Nick Schmaltz saw the end of his 7-point line.

WHAT IS NEXT

Penguins: Host Columbus Tuesday night.

Coyotes: Pa San Jose Sunday.

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