It remains to be seen what these Pittsburgh Penguins can really accomplish as the postseason approaches.
Heck, officially qualifying for the playoffs is something they have yet to accomplish as April dawns.
But whatever the Penguins will do as presumed participants in the Stanley Cup playoffs, they won’t be successful to any meaningful degree without the services of franchise pillar Evgeni Malkin.
Those services were restored Tuesday during a convincing 5-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings at PPG Paints Arena.
Malkin rejoined the lineup after missing the previous four games because of an undisclosed injury. He opened Tuesday’s contest in his typical station on the right wing of the second line and contributed an assist.
His return was offset, however, by the absence of forward Bryan Rust, who was unexpectedly scratched just prior to the opening faceoff because of an undisclosed injury. Rust entered the day with the injury and tested it out during warmups, but was deemed unfit to play.
Coach Dan Muse did not provide a substantive status report on Rust following the game.
With Tuesday’s result, the Penguins (38-21-16, 92 points) buttressed their hold on second place in the Metropolitan Division with two weeks remaining in the regular season. The New York Islanders (43-29-5, 89 points) remained in third place following a 4-3 road loss to the Buffalo Sabres, some three and a half hours to the north.
One night prior, the Penguins staged an 8-3 comeback road win against the Islanders that pushed them into second place.
Malkin’s presence offered an obvious boost, but in reality, the Penguins got contributions from seemingly every portion of their lineup as all four lines generated at least one goal.
“That’s the good thing right now,” fourth-liner Noel Acciari said. “When we can go up and down the lineup, take the pressure off the top lines, it’s big. Especially this time of year … every goal counts.”
Penguins goaltender Stuart Skinner looked stout in goal, stopping 22 of 23 shots, boosting his record to 22-15-9.
“I felt really sharp, kind of right from the get-go,” Skinner said. “The way we came out as a team, too, gives you a big boost of confidence.
“It’s a big win for us.”
Replacing Rust on the right wing of the top line was forward Rickard Rakell, and he opened the scoring with his 20th goal 4:10 into regulation.
Digging a puck out of a pileup on Detroit’s left half-wall, Penguins forward Sidney Crosby offloaded it to Rakell above the near circle. Surveying for a shooting lane, Rakell drifted a bit toward the slot, then ripped a wrister past the blocker of goaltender John Gibson, a native of Whitehall. Crosby and linemate Egor Chinakhov had assists.
RICKY RAKS OPENS THE SCORING ????
— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) March 31, 2026
"This guy is just ON FIRE!" - @armdog pic.twitter.com/xdgV8lYLxU
Former Red Wings forward Anthony Mantha reached the 30-goal mark for the first time in his 11-year career at 8:34 of the first period.
Chugging up the right wing wall of the offensive zone, Penguins defenseman Connor Clifton centered a pass for Mantha, who flung a backhander that Gibson denied with his right skate. As Penguins forward Connor Dewar jabbed at the rebound from the right post and Malkin crashed in to create further havoc, Mantha hovered above the blue paint, fished the puck out of the mass of humanity and floated a wrister over Gibson’s right leg. Malkin and Dewar were deemed worthy of assists.
Folks, we're right where we left off last night...
— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) March 31, 2026
THE PUCK ALWAYS FINDS MO! ???????? https://t.co/Oex6TbqkJt pic.twitter.com/6Yz2Pqxfni
The Penguins went up by a field goal at 18:02 of the opening frame via Chinakhov’s 18th goal.
Settling a puck in the neutral zone and backtracking to the defensive zone, Penguins defenseman Kris Letang snapped a stretch pass up ice to Chinakhov at the offensive blue line. Advancing toward the left circle, Chinakhov ripped a wrister that glanced off the right leg of Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider and beat Gibson’s blocker on the near side. Letang logged the lone assist.
Egor Chinakhov delivered the Goal and gave The Pens a 3-0 Lead going into The Locker Room at the end of the 1st. #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/GVf6ely3Rk
— JK4 From Pittsburgh. Rest Well Chuck Norris. (@Joek72) April 1, 2026
“I’m just trying to hit the net,” Chinakhov said. “I’m lucky. That’s good.”
Gibson was neither lucky nor good and was pulled, possibly for humanitarian considerations, after the first period. He finished with 11 saves on 14 shots and was replaced by Cam Talbot.
The Penguins’ penalty kill continued to struggle as it allowed a goal for the sixth consecutive game when Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin reached the 30-goal plateau 3:17 into the second period.
After Larkin won a draw in Pittsburgh’s right circle against Acciari, the puck bounced to the high slot, where Red Wings forward Patrick Kane settled it, then pumped a wrister that Skinner denied with his blocker. The puck bounced to the left of the crease, where a mostly unimpeded Larkin easily tapped in a forehand shot. The only assist was collected by Kane.
Dylan Larkin - Detroit Red Wings (30)
— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) April 1, 2026
Power Play Goal pic.twitter.com/J1zTE53VpQ
Penguins forward Justin Brazeau got in on the act with his 17th goal of the season — and first since March 1 — at 12:23 of the second frame.
Calming a loose puck at the right point of the offensive zone, Clifton backpedaled toward the center point, then launched a wrister. Brazeau bodied up against Seider just below the lower left hashmark and deflected the puck with his stick past Talbot’s blocker. The only assist went to Clifton.
It's been a Good Movie so Far tonight after 40. Justin Brazeau Put The Pens up 4-1 At 12:23 of The Second. Game is not over Guys! Let's Go Pens! #LetsgoPens pic.twitter.com/c4rbDiuncJ
— JK4 From Pittsburgh. Rest Well Chuck Norris. (@Joek72) April 1, 2026
“It’s tough,” Brazeau said of his goal drought. “It’s a little hard for the confidence, but I’m just trying to stick with it and make sure that I’m getting to the areas that make me successful. Hopefully, they start going in.”
A puck went into the net for the fourth line for the third consecutive game when Acciari acrued his 11th goal at 12:09 of the third to cap the scoring.
Accepting a pass at the left point of the offensive zone, Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea lobbed a wrister toward the cage. Acciari burrowed his way into position to the left of the crease against Seider and was struck by the puck, which plopped to the ice. As Seider tried to shove him away, Acciari managed to sweep the rebound into the cage past Talbot’s right skate. Shea and forward Elmer Soderblom — whom the Penguins acquired in a trade with the Red Wings on March 6 — had assists.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) April 1, 2026
The 6-foot-8, 252-pound Soderblom is — in part — replacing injured forward Blake Lizotte on the fourth line and has quietly pieced together a three-game scoring streak.
“He’s good with the puck,” Acciari said. “He’s got that long reach, strong on pucks. He’s kind of slotted right in there. We’ve kind of — after a game or so — (gotten) used to each other. He’s fitting in really well.”
Things went really well for the Penguins over the span of 48 hours as they pursue a playoff berth.
“Just a massive four-point swing for us,” Skinner said. “Especially against those teams we’re fighting spots for. The (Eastern Conference) is so tight, anytime you get two, three wins in a row, that’s a big jump.”
Notes:
• Dewar recorded a fighting major at 12:04 of the first period when he tussled with Red Wings defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker.
There is some history between Dewar and Bernard-Docker. They fought just over a year ago when Bernard-Docker was a member of the Sabres, during a 7-3 home win for the Sabres on March 27, 2025.
• The Penguins quietly assigned rookie forwards Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Monday, then recalled them to the NHL roster Tuesday for roster management purposes.
• Tuesday’s contest was the final game of Penguins defenseman Caleb Jones’ 20-game suspension for violating terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program. He is eligible to rejoin the team for Thursday’s road contest against the Lightning.
Jones remains designated to injured reserve due to an undisclosed malady.
• In addition to Rust, Penguins forwards Kevin Hayes and Blake Lizotte were scratched due to undisclosed injuries.
• Penguins defensemen Ryan Graves, Ilya Solovyov and Jack St. Ivany, as well as Koivunen and McGroarty, were healthy scratches.
