The Pittsburgh Penguins took to the ice on Monday night against the Colorado Avalanche. In the game, Evgeni Malkin returned from his suspension, netting two goals and an assist.
For Penguins defender Erik Karlsson, he was not focused on the return of the Penguins star, but instead, facing off against Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon, as seen in the remarks he made to ESPN during the game.
“Whats is like playing against the best player in the world in Nathan MacKinnon?” the ESPN on ice reporter asked Karlsson, “You're one of the best defenseman for a long time. What's going through your head when you see 29 coming at you?”
“Oh s***, here we go,” Karlsson responded before laughing and skating away.
Karlsson had a solid game against MacKinnon and the Avs. He scored a goal and added two assists while having a plus-two plus/minus rating in the game. Meanwhile, MacKinnon was held to one goal on four shots and had a minus-one rating.
The Penguins blueliner has faced many star players in his long career. He was the 15th overall selection of the 208 NHL Draft by the Ottawa Senators and broke into the NHL in 2009-10. The Swede would stay with the Senators through 2017-18 before being traded to the San Jose Sharks prior to the 2018-19 campaign. He was traded once again ahead of the 2023-24 season, going to the Penguins.
Meanwhile, MacKinnon has been with the Avalanche since the 2013-14 season, leading to multiple meetings between Karlsson and MacKinnon over the years.
Karlsson has been instrumental in helping the team push for a playoff spot this year. The Penguins are 34-18-15 on the season, placing them in second in the Metropolitan Division. They return to the ice to face the division lading Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night.
