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WATCH: Evgeni Malkin wins game with goal of the year
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin tallied four points in a victory over the Minnesota Wild. Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

WATCH: Evgeni Malkin wins game with goal of the year

Apparently, the Pittsburgh Penguins took Evgeni Malkin’s candid rant to heart — no player more so than Malkin himself.

A couple days after venting that the Pens needed to “stop, look in the mirror, and start working,” the stealthy forward led the way in a fiery 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild Tuesday night. No moment in the tilt was more marvelous, however, than Malkin’s game-winner in the second frame.

The maneuver in which he wraps  the puck around his left leg is already jaw-dropping. But break down the play and ponder the quick thinking that it took for him to snag Phil Kessel’s pass from over his shoulder and loop it between his legs before Minnesota’s Mikael Granlund could commandeer it.

Listen, as the video captures the home crowds collective “Whoa!” as the play unfolds.

Malkin is arguably one of the most talented players in the current NHL — and an irreplaceable piece of the Pens' roster, to boot. He made that known by chastising the team over the weekend, then taking it upon himself to set a positive example on the ice and tally a four-point evening.

Oh yes, and he scored what is probably the prettiest goal of the season. That doesn’t hurt either.

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