Pens top Panthers but Lose Malkin to Concussion
Following last Wednesday’s loss to the Flyers, the Penguins righted their ship with a 3-1 win over the Florida Panthers.
Chris Kunitz, Dustin Jeffrey and Matt Niskanen scored in the win.
A third period injury to Evgeni Malkin soured the win, as Malkin would be diagnosed with concussion symptoms Saturday and ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Friday’s contest was apparently under the spell of ambien until Malkin’s injury and a few scrums awoke the Pens in the third. Niskanen scored the game winner shortly after a power play had expired, and Jeffrey iced the game with a goal late in the third.
Jeffrey’s tally was his first in five games this season and first since April 2011. Jeffrey was a healthy scratch at times last season before a knee injury put him on the shelf for a significant amount of time.
Even after being cleared to play last season, Jeffrey struggled to get to the form that saw him break out in 2011.
“I’m pleased with the way I’ve played,” Jeffrey said. “Hopefully, going forward from tonight I’ll get another opportunity and build from there if it presents itself.”
Malkin’s injury will make a spot for Jeffrey to play every night, if temporarily.
With a Devils loss on Saturday, Pittsburgh now sits atop the Atlantic Division. The Pens are again .500 at home, but the 3-3-0 mark on CONSOL ice is a far cry from their 8-2-0 road record.
They’ll get the chance to move above .500 at home for the first time this season Sunday against Tampa Bay.
Audio Courtesy Jason Seidling & Pittsburgh Penguins
About the Author
James Conley is the owner of Slew Footers. A Pitt grad and freelance writer, James also contributes to the Yahoo! Contributor Network, Baseball News Source and SB Nation's Pensburgh.
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