On This Day: Evgeni Malkin’s Legendary Milkshake

On This Day reflects on Game 2 of the 2009 Eastern Conference Final a.k.a. the insane Evgeni Malkin hat-trick game.

***

In short, the Pittsburgh Penguins swept the Carolina Hurricanes to advance to their second consecutive Stanley Cup Final series against the Detroit Red Wings.

Game 2 is fondly remembered by many Pens fans, and for good reason. The contest featured a total of 11 goals, including the aforementioned HT.

Geno’s first goal was scored thanks to a Cam Ward rebound from a prior Tyler Kennedy shot.

The game would progress on into the third period. Patrick Eaves would tie the game for Carolina early in the third, but all the Penguins needed was Evgeni Malkin.

Malkin’s second goal was scored off another rebound, this time as a result from a Chris Kunitz shot from just beyond the right circle. Malkin would not be denied on this rebound, either.

Now, the third goal was a thing of beauty. Presumably possessed by a hockey demon at this point, Malkin won the o-zone face-off from the left circle and proceeded to bully his way to a no-look backhander to complete the hat-trick en route to a 7-4 win.

The call from Joe Beninati on Malkin’s backhander is just awesome.

To put a bow on everything, the rest of the series played out as such:

In Game 3, Malkin scored two goals and notched an assist in a 6-2 victory.

Carolina threw everything at the Penguins in Game 4 and even got on the board first thanks to an Eric Staal goal. However, the Penguins went on to score four times in a row and the Canes simply could not handle this storm. This onslaught allowed the Penguins to take a 2-1 lead late in the opening period because of a Max Talbot marker. Bill Guerin and Craig Adams would score in the second and third periods respectively to give the Penguins a 4-1 and series-clinching victory.

***

But what do you think? Is this Evgeni Malkin’s greatest playoff performance? Sound off in the comments down below!