Malkin gets Gordie Howe hat trick, hits 30-goal mark for 1st time in 5 years
Evgeni Malkin is a superstar in his own right, but now he can be mentioned in the same breath as one of the greatest.
The Pittsburgh Penguins forward was all over the score sheet, recording a Gordie Howe hat trick - at least one goal, one assist, and one fight - against the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday night.
He scored twice, added a helper on a goal by Justin Schultz, and obliged Jets forward Blake Wheeler in a staged bout, all within the first 31 minutes of the game.
Related: Malkin, Wheeler settle score by dropping gloves
His first goal came on a breakaway, and it gave him 30 goals on the season for the first time since 2011-12.
Malkin's 31st made it 5-3 for the Penguins at the 10:06 mark of the second period.
The Russian sniper is having his best season since his 50-goal, 109-point campaign five years ago. Injuries have limited him to 69 games or less in each of the last four seasons, but he's now played more in 2016-17 (58 contests) than he did in all of the 2015-16 regular season (57).
A healthy Malkin is a great thing for the NHL.