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Evgeni Malkin set for Player Safety hearing today after Rasmus Dahlin slash
Photo credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Evgeni Malkin faces an NHL Player Safety hearing, and the Pittsburgh Penguins could lose him after a slash on Rasmus Dahlin.
NHL Player Safety posted Friday that Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin will have a hearing today for slashing Buffalo's Rasmus Dahlin.
The moment came in the second period, after Dahlin worked Malkin over with cross-checks near the net.
Malkin answered with a hard, downward swing that caught helmet and shoulder, and the game tilted instantly.
He took a major for slashing and a game misconduct, and Buffalo got five full minutes of man advantage.
This is not small, Malkin carries a $6.1 million cap hit and he is in the final year of his deal.
He is also producing, with 13-34-47 through 46 games, so any absence hits both the top-six and the power play.
Buffalo does not get to shrug it off either, Dahlin is their engine with a $11.0 million cap hit and 12-41-53 in 58 games.
Evgeni Malkin puts the Pittsburgh Penguins in a bind
Pens fans can feel the groan already, because the timing is brutal and the margin is thin.
If the league goes suspension, it is not just minutes, it is the matchup problem he creates down low.
Malkin's stick work can drift into "too much," and Player Safety tends to hammer head-contact slashes.
The on-ice fit part is obvious, he drives the second line and keeps defenses honest behind Sidney Crosby.
Take him out and you are asking depth wingers to create offense off the wall, not off the middle.
It also drags Kyle Dubas into roster math fast, because a top-six hole near the deadline is panic fuel.
Friday's decision tells us how tight the league will be calling retaliation, and how careful Pittsburgh has to play Saturday.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 6|177 ANSWERS Evgeni Malkin set for Player Safety hearing today after Rasmus Dahlin slash Should Evgeni Malkin be suspended for the slash on Rasmus Dahlin? | ||
| Yes | 107 | 60.5 % |
| No | 70 | 39.5 % |
| List of polls | ||