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Penguins' Malkin apologizes to fans, teammates after 1st-round exit

Charles LeClaire / Reuters

Evgeni Malkin offered an apology following the Pittsburgh Penguins' 2-1 overtime loss to the New York Rangers on Friday night, a defeat that clinched the series for New York and eliminated the Penguins in five games.

"I want to say sorry to (the) fans, to my teammates," Malkin told reporters, according to Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "I know I'm a leader on this team. Not so good game. I don't know."

The Penguins lost four games by a 2-1 margin, scoring eight goals in the series.

"If we lose, we're not championship team, we’re not team to win it," Malkin said. "It's (the) first round. Four-one. It's not good enough."

Malkin struggled while battling an undisclosed injury, failing to register a point in the entire Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. 

"If I step on ice, (I'm) healthy," he said. "I have a couple of small injuries, but it’s not (a) big one."

He went pointless for 10 games after collecting a pair of assists in a win over the Arizona Coyotes on March 28. Malkin went 15 games without scoring a goal.

The star forward didn't pin the team's early exit on a lack of chemistry in the dressing room.

"I like what we do. We play hard the whole series," he said. "(It's) so friendly in (the) locker room, so tight. It’s bad luck. I don’t know."

The Penguins were eliminated by the Rangers for the second consecutive season. New York defeated Pittsburgh in seven games to advance to the Eastern Conference Final in 2013-14.

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