Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin has been fined four times for crossing Nashville’s Mark Borowiecki in the face. The NHL players’ safety department announced the suspension on Monday after hearing with Malkin about the game. In a video explaining the suspension, the league described Malkin’s cross-control as “controversial and aggressive”. Malkin was initially penalized with a double short penalty of four minutes, after hitting Borovetsky in the mouth with his stick at the end of the second period on Sunday. “It’s an emotional game out there,” coach Mike Sullivan told reporters after the game. “It’s physical, and sometimes it is. It was a physical game, especially in the nets in those areas where it took place. “Obviously, we do not want our best players on penalties, but these guys are competitive kids and they push back. We would rather be on ice. They give us a better chance when they are on the ice, for sure. “But one of the things we love about Jenno is how competitive he is, and so when you have an emotional game like the one we had today, that’s what happens.” This is Malkin’s second punishment after the exclusion of a race for high performance in 2019. This costs him $ 190,000 in salary. He has the right to return on April 23 against Detroit. The Penguins beat the Predators in overtime to win a four-game game. They have lost seven of their last 10 games and are in danger of falling from third place in the Metropolitan Division and entering a wilderness position in the Eastern Region. Malkin lost the first 34 games of the season recovering from knee surgery. Ever since he made his season debut on January 11, the 35-year-old Russian center has been a player with 17 goals and 20 assists in 37 games.
