Evgeni Malkin was the only Penguins player in action Wednesday at the IIHF World Championship in Slovakia.
Russia's matchup with Italy looked to be as good a time as any for Malkin to score his first goal of the tournament. Italy entered the game with an 0-3 record, outscored 0-20 through their first three games.
It didn't happen. Malkin is still searching for his first goal of the tournament after Russia defeated Italy, 10-0. Malkin had the second-highest ice time in the win at 18:35, but recorded no points and a plus-1 rating. He led Russia with six shots.
Russia improved to 4-0 with the win and is one of three teams remaining in the tournament with a perfect record, along with Germany and Switzerland. Russia has outscored opponents 23-2 through their first four games.
Around the rest of the tournament:
• The United States defeated Great Britain, 6-3, and outshot the Brits by an absurd 65-26 margin. Patrick Kane recorded one goal and two assists.
• Switzerland remained undefeated with a 4-1 win over Norway. Forward Andres Ambuhl, who plays in the Swiss National League, led the team with two goals.
• Germany extended its perfect record with a 3-2 win over Slovakia. Leon Draisaitl was the hero, scoring the game-winning goal with 27 seconds remaining. Former Penguins prospect Freddie Tiffels earned the primary assist:
Thursday is a busy day in the tournament for Penguins players. Matt Murray and Jared McCann's Canadian squad will battle France. Marcus Pettersson, Patric Hornqvist and the Swedes will play Austria, and Dominik Simon and Teddy Blueger go head-to-head when the Czechs play Latvia. Finland will face Denmark.
MORE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATES
Day 1: Hornqvist scores; Malkin and Simon record assists
Day 2: Blueger gets two points in Latvia win
Day 3: Hornqvist nets two; McCann makes magic
Day 4: Hornqvist extends goal streak, ties Kakko for tournament lead
Day 5: Blueger dominates Worlds faceoff circle
To continue reading, log into your account:
