COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It was never in doubt that Evgeni Malkin's return to the lineup from knee surgery would make the Penguins a better hockey team.
But how much better could he make a club that recently went on a 10-game winning-streak without him?
Well, quite a bit, as it turned out.
It's easy to forget, but Malkin finished third in the NHL in points per hour as recently as the 2019-20 regular season, and added five points in four games while essentially playing on one knee during the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs.