Fifteen years ago today, Evgeni Malkin exploded for a hat trick in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes at Mellon Arena.
The hat trick included one of Malkin’s signature goals of his career.
The Penguins headed into Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final coming off of a tight 3-2 win in Game 1 and were looking to take a tighter hold on the series.
Enter Evgeni Malkin.
After a back-and-forth opening new minutes of the game and a tied 1-1 score, Malkin scored his first of the game.