PITTSBURGH — Evgeni Malkin achieved a remarkable milestone by becoming the 48th player in NHL history to reach the 500 career goals mark during the third period of the game against the Buffalo Sabres.

Malkin’s goal was set up by teammate Sidney Crosby, who made a stunning between-the-legs pass from behind the net. Malkin, seated on the ice at the moment, skillfully flipped the puck into the net past goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The Penguins’ bench erupted in excitement as players rushed to congratulate him, while fans in the arena showed their appreciation with a standing ovation.

Additionally, earlier in the match, Crosby marked his own milestone by becoming the 10th player in NHL history to accumulate 1,600 regular-season points throughout his career.

With 500 goals over 1,150 games, Malkin ranks third in all-time goals scored for the Penguins and is one of only 20 players in NHL history to have reached this milestone while playing for a single team. The veteran forward was selected as the second overall pick by the Penguins in the 2004 NHL Draft.

Alongside Crosby (592 goals), Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals (853 goals), and Steven Stamkos of the Nashville Predators (555 goals), Malkin is one of the few active players to have scored 500 goals in the league. Interestingly, he and Ovechkin are the only two Russian-born players to hit this significant goal mark in NHL history.

Pittsburgh has now joined an elite group as the second franchise in NHL history, following Montreal, to have three players who have each scored 500 goals.