NHL Player Safety lines up Evgeni Malkin hearing after Rasmus Dahlin slash

There's no mystery on the league's move here. Chris Johnston reported Friday that Malkin is headed to a hearing, with history expected to matter.

The play itself was ugly and fast. Early in the second period Thursday, Malkin swung down and clipped Dahlin on the side of the helmet, then caught him again up high as the scrum broke.

Officials reviewed it and dropped the hammer. Malkin got a major and a game misconduct for slashing, while Dahlin took a minor for cross-checking in the sequence.

Buffalo made Pittsburgh pay on the extended man advantage, and the night snowballed into a 5-1 Sabres win at PPG Paints Arena.

What makes this feel bigger is the timing. The trade deadline is Friday, and Pittsburgh is already skating without Sidney Crosby on injured reserve.

Now the top-six gets thinner in a hurry. If Malkin misses games, the trickle-down hits the matchup center role, the second power-play unit, and the late-game faceoff plan.

Penguins fans can handle a loss, but this is the kind of self-inflicted chaos that makes you groan because it was so avoidable.

Malkin's «history» isn't just a buzzword. He was fined the maximum earlier this season for slashing, and he has a prior four-game suspension on his record from 2022.

That's why this hearing matters more than a fine. A suspension would not only pull a star from the lineup, it also forces Kyle Dubas into tougher deadline math.

On the ice, it changes how opponents defend Pittsburgh. Without Malkin driving the middle, teams can press harder on the half-wall and squeeze the slot.

It also puts more on the blue line to create clean exits. If the Penguins spend shifts stuck defending, they won't get enough set plays to survive this.

The next game is now a stress test for structure and discipline. Pittsburgh has to win boring for a bit, because the room can't afford another meltdown.