Evgeni Malkin knew he had to be careful.
It was the final minute of regulation, and the Penguins were in a deadlocked 1-1 tie with the Stars in Monday's game at PPG Paints Arena, a game that felt more like a chess match at times with the tight defensive play.
The Penguins could have focused on running out the clock and forcing overtime, which would have secured at least one point in the standings. At the very least, they had to avoid high-risk plays. Worse case scenario would be the Stars taking possession and getting one by Tristan Jarry before the game could even get to overtime.