Pens Points: Return of the Geno

Here are your Pens Points for this Tuesday morning...

The Pittsburgh Penguins did battle with their cross-state rival, the Philadelphia Flyers, last night. After a 23-game absence, Evgeni Malkin made his return to the lineup as well. Looking to widen the gap between themselves and the Washington Capitals for first place in the East Division, the flightless birds were off their game from the jump, facing a 4-0 deficit by the end of period two. A third period surge would see the Penguins claw back, but the Flyers played the role of spoiler here, besting the Pens 7-2. [Recap]

On the injury front, yes Evgeni Malkin is back, but defenseman Mike Matheson has been given a week-to-week injury designation by head coach Mike Sullivan, and Brandon Tanev has progressed to a full contact participant in practice. [Pensburgh]

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, along with the rest of the AHL, will not crown a postseason champion for the second straight year. [Pensburgh]

News and notes from around the NHL...

Here come... the Montreal Canadiens? [Eyes On The Prize]

Last night saw the return of Alex Ovechkin after a 4-game absence. The Washington Capitals superstar took a 39-second shift before departing the ice once again. [Yahoo Sports]

The Vegas Golden Knights’ top prospect, Peyton Krebs, made his NHL debut last night. [Knights On Ice]

Tom Wilson’s name made the rounds on social media last night. He was, once again, doing Tom Wilson things. For a full breakdown of what went down, check this link out. [USA Today/Detroit Free Press]