MOSCOW, Aug 15 Russian Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin entered the a list of the top 20 center forwards in the National Hockey League (NHL) at the moment, published on the league website. Malkin is located on the 18th line. Last season, the 36-year-old Russian first appeared on the ice on January 11 in a match against the Anaheim Ducks (4:1). In June, he underwent knee surgery. Malkin finished the season playing 48 games and scoring 48 points (23 goals and 25 assists). Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid took first place in the ranking. Also in the top five were Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs), Nathan McKinnon (Colorado Avalanche), Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton) and Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh). Malkin was selected by Pittsburgh in the 2004 draft in the first round under the general second number. As part of the Penguins, he played 981 games in the NHL regular season, scoring 1146 points (444 + 702). In the playoffs, he has 177 matches and 180 points (67+113). Together with the team, the Russian won the Stanley Cup three times.
