Penguins' Evgeni Malkin to Be Suspended 4 Games for Cross-Checking Mark Borowiecki

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin has been suspended four games for cross-checking Nashville Predators defenseman Mark Borowiecki in the face, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Monday.

The incident occurred during the end of the second period of the Penguins 3-2 overtime win against the Predators on Sunday. 

Malkin and Borowiecki were engaged in a battle near the Predators net when the Penguins forward then slashed Borowiecki's stick out of his hands and cross-checked him in the mouth.

Borowiecki, who appeared to lose some teeth as a result, did not return to the game. Referees whistled Malkin for a high sticking double-minor, and Borowiecki was given a minor for slashing.

Malkin doesn't have a large disciplinary history in his 16-year NHL career. He was fined $5,000 and suspended one game in February 2019 for cross-checking then Philadelphia Flyers forward Michael Raffl. He was also fined $5,000 in December 2019 for high sticking then-Ottawa Senators forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau.

Pittsburgh selected Malkin second overall in the 2004 draft and has developed into one of the best forwards in the league. He has scored at least 30 goals in six seasons and recorded a 50-goal year during the 2011-12 campaign. 

The 35-year-old has helped the Penguins win three Stanley Cups and has also won the Art Ross Trophy, Hart Trophy, Conn Smythe Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award over his career. 

This season, Malkin has tallied 17 goals and 20 assists in 37 games for a Penguins team third in the Metropolitan Division standings with a 42-22-10 record.