The Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins will play each other in their first game back from the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off break on Saturday. And two of the star players will go straight from hanging out with each other during vacation to competing against each other on the ice.
Wednesday, after Penguins practice, Evgeni Malkin revealed that he recently spent time together with Alex Ovechkin. According to Malkin, the Capitals superstar was hesitant to speak to him about his chase of Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goals record.
“We have dinner in Miami together, I see him, we talk a little bit,” Malkin said. “He just relax. I try to ask him about goals, but he doesn’t want to talk too much. He wants just enjoy it, he wants just relax.”
Ovechkin will enter Saturday’s game in Pittsburgh with 879 career goals — just 16 goals shy of outright owning the record — while Malkin will be making his return from a lower-body injury that caused him to miss six games.
“I want to say maybe a couple years ago, I’m not believe he’s broken the record,” Malkin said. “But now it’s like no choice, of course, maybe not this year, but 100 percent next year.
“He’s Russian, he’s born from Russia,” he added. “It’s good for everybody from Russia, I hope. And again, he’s my best friend. I hope no injury to him, it’s most important right now, everybody knows. And Washington play unbelievable. This big challenge in a game against Washington. We be ready, for sure.”
If serious, Malkin’s declaration that he and Ovechkin are best friends is another new development in what was a very tumultuous relationship early in their careers. While the two have grown close as they’ve gotten older, Ovechkin reportedly punched Malkin’s agent, Gennady Ushakov, in the face in 2007, and it was thought their contentious on-ice behavior around that time stemmed from that incident.
Since then, the two’s friendship has been very public, as Malkin attended the Capitals’ captain’s birthday party and congratulated him after scoring 700 career goals. He also played on the same line as Ovechkin and Ovi Jr. in an Ovi Cup exhibition match this past summer.
Ovechkin returned the congratulations earlier this season after Malkin scored his 500th career goal against the Buffalo Sabres.
Then there was whatever this was.
Malkin has 34 points (9g, 25a) in 47 games this season for the Penguins. The 38-year-old centerman announced he’d be back for Pittsburgh against the Capitals after being sidelined since suffering an injury early in a January 25 game against the Seattle Kraken.
“I feel good,” Malkin said. “I mean, I’ve not played last like five games, and it’s a break, it’s helping me for sure. I have a couple days rest, a little bit of workout, and good practice yesterday, today. I mean, ready to play for sure, first game against Washington. And again, little bit rest. We have what, 25 games left? Big push for us. I’m excited to be back.”
Meanwhile, Ovechkin has 42 career goals against Pittsburgh, but none have come in his two games against them this season.
