Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin scored his 500th career goal in a wild 6-5 overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres at PPG Paints Arena. The score came at 3:26 of the third period and gave the Penguins their first lead of the contest. Forward Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal at 1:38 of overtime.
“I don’t want to be here the next two years and just play my game, just score 500 goals and do nothing after,” Malkin said on Sept. 19 in Cranberry. “I want to be here to win.
” Malkin scored his milestone goal early in the third frame to put the Penguins in front 4-3. As a power-play opportunity expired, Crosby flicked a backhand pass from the Sabres’ end boards to the front of the crease where Malkin fanned on a forehand shot as he fell to the ice. Recovering the puck while on his backside, Malkin shuffled in another forehand shot over Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Lukkonen’s right leg.
Crosby recorded the only assist on the goal. Crosby has assisted on more Malkin goals than any other player, setting up 140 of them. Kris Letang assisted on 87, followed by Phil Kessel (58), Sergei Gonchar (39) and James Neal (38).
Malkin joins fellow franchise pillars Mario Lemieux and Crosby as the only lifetime Penguins players to reach the 500-goal plateau. The Penguins and Montreal Canadiens are the only teams to have three players score 500 goals for them. Montreal’s 500-goal scorers are Guy Lafleur, Jean Beliveau and Maurice Richard.
Malkin also becomes NHL player No. 48 t.