ATLANTA — The Pittsburgh Penguins weathered the Rocky Mountain storm in the first period and came out ahead before delivering a beating to the best team in the NHL. Evgeni Malkin returned from his five-game suspension and was spectacular. We’ve got full coverage from Denver on the game and Malkin’s postgame comments.

Elsewhere in the somewhat delayed Daily, the head of the NHL Department of Player (un)Safety, George Parros, spoke Tuesday morning from the GM meetings in Florida. Even his defense of the institution comes off as tone-deaf. Mason McTavish is in trouble in Anaheim. And will Sidney Crosby be the Team Canada captain for the World Cup in 2028?

Greetings from the Delta Club in Atlanta. Thank God for my NHN Am-Ex card that gets me into these spots where I can work and eat and … eat. I rarely drink with my laptop open and full access to X.

The US air traffic is a bloody nightmare today. I took the red-eye to avoid this mess, but here I am. Monday after the hectic morning skate, I got to take a colleague to Sam’s No. 3 in downtown Denver. A few years ago, Guy Fieri’s show alerted me to this place and I visit every year.

The green chili sauce is great. And no matter what you order, it’s in a tortilla. Cheeseburger? wrapped in a tortilla. A taco bowl? Yep, wrapped in a tortilla with red and green chili. No, I didn’t finish this bad boy, but my annual pilgrimage to one of the best grubby food spots in the country was complete.

Sam’s No.3! pic.twitter.com/sUtkNRzgzo

— Dan Kingerski (@TheDanKingerski) March 16, 2026

I had chili. Penguins scored a chili goal. Please don’t make me eat chili every game day.

Say what, Erik Karlsson? He’s a beaut.

The big what now Erik??? pic.twitter.com/vP9zwYOkJb

— nhlpens (@nhlpens) March 17, 2026

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Here’s the game recap of the surprising and thorough Penguins victory.

Now, let us dive into the nuts and bolts of the game. For those of us who remember the 1980s and early 1990s hockey (before New Jersey strangled it), Monday night was a beautiful throwback of hockey played without too much structure and responsibility but with a desire to outplay the other team and score. The game settled, and the Penguins did a lot right–so here you go: the good grades, a couple of bad grades, and Evgeni Malkin’s dominance in the Penguins report card.

And after the game, this time it was my turn to ask Malkin about his contract status. He sounded a much more positive tone and an update. The latest on Evgeni Malkin.

NHL News, & National Hockey Now

Sportsnet: Parros spoke to reporters at the GM meetings Tuesday morning. He defended his comically light suspension of Radko Gudas and the suspension process, as Canadian TV networks carried his press conference live.

NHL.com: The 2028 World Cup will be played in Alberta and Prague. The NHL is going all-in on the next best-on-best tournament.

TSN Video: Debate. So, should Sidney Crosby be the captain of Team Canada the next time around?

With the utmost respect, by 2028, I can’t see Crosby being the C in two years. But if there’s a player that has defied every expectation of age, it is No. 87.

NHLtraderumors.me: Circle this guy as a prime Kyle Dubas trade target. Anaheim forward Mason McTavish is not trending in the right direction in Anaheim, and despite his new long-term contract, Q made him a healthy scratch Monday night.

Boston Hockey Now: Some good news for the Penguins on the scoreboard. They need Boston and Detroit losses to create space for a wild card if needed, and they got one of those Tuesday. Here’s what’s happening as Jack Hughes and the New Jersey Devils just looked better and beat those Boston Bruins.

Detroit Hockey Now: The Detroit Red Wings took care of business against the Calgary Flames. That was the bad news for the Penguins, and it also seems Patrick Kane is getting healthy and gaining chemistry with Alex DeBrincat. The pair is looking exceptional and carrying the Red Wings.

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