During Sunday's game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators, Pens forward Evgeni Malkin took it upon himself to slash Preds defenseman Mark Borowiecki's stick in half and then deliver a stiff cross check to his face.
The play resulted in Malkin earning himself a meeting with the NHL's Department of Player Safety on Monday, which pretty much confirmed what most of us expected, which was that Malkin was likely to be suspended. The question was, how many games?
Well, this evening, we got our answer as the DoPS has reached a decision. Malkin will be banned for the next 4 games for the violent and unnecessary play that resulted in Borowiecki leaking blood from his face and mouth.
Malkin missed most of the season after recovering from offseason knee surgery. The 35-year-old has found his way into just 37 games this season, but is sitting at a point per game with 17 goals and 20 assists for 37 points.
