Why was Malkin on bench for final 5:27?

NEW YORK -- Evgeni Malkin didn't step on the ice for the final 5:27 of the Penguins' 3-1 victory over the Rangers in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup playoffs Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. And that, regardless of the outcome, is bound to be a big topic heading into Game 4.

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Mike Sullivan wasn't asked about this after the game Tuesday-- sorry, both Josh Yohe and I were still in the locker room culling other material -- so the coach's explanation must wait until after Wednesday's 1:30 p.m. practice, assuming he chooses to address it. That's hardly a lock, given the terseness of some of his responses this postseason regarding Malkin.

Malkin spoke before the game, but he wasn't in the locker room afterward.



There was no sign of injury, and Malkin never left the bench, as he would have had he required significant treatment. There also was no word, no buzz regarding any Malkin injury from anyone associated with the team afterward. But again, official word on such a thing would only come from Sullivan and/or Jim Rutherford.

The most likely explanation, barring injury, is that, with the Penguins shielding a one-goal lead for most of that final 5:27, Sullivan shortened his line rotation to three and left out Malkin's group. That notion would be best supported by Eric Fehr, Malkin's assigned right winger on this night, logging only 13 seconds in the same span.

Another possible explanation, though it would be far less likely to get aired in public by the Penguins' management, is that Malkin performed abysmally. Much worse than in his return from injury in Game 2. He recorded a power-play assist on Sidney Crosby's goal late in the second period and generally skated well, but he was sloppy with the puck and way out of whack with his decision-making, including a hard pinch up the right boards that enabled Rick Nash's short-handed breakaway goal.

Most egregious, though, was his tripping penalty in the second period, this with the Penguins in the attacking zone. Both players were spent after a long -- and for the Penguins, positive -- shift, and Malkin put his stick into the Rangers' Derick Brassard. Malkin appeared to motion with his hands that Brassard took a dive, but he's still got scant business putting his stick on Brassard's body in that situation.

Sullivan clearly is grasping for answers with Malkin. For the second game in a row, Malkin began with one set of linemates, ended with another, and this despite the coach rearranging the lines for Tuesday to reflect how they looked for most of the five weeks Malkin was out. In this case, Conor Sheary was bumped to the first line alongside Sidney Crosby and Patric Hornqvist, and Chris Kunitz, in turn, was bumped back with Malkin and Fehr.

That might not be any reflection on Malkin, but who can know for sure in this increasingly odd situation?