Matt Murray made 29 saves for his fourth NHL shutout and third this season, and Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist in his first game back from a lower-body injury since Jan. 24 to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-0 home victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday.

Matt Murray and Evgeni Malkin Lift Penguins To 4-0 Win vs Canucks

Sidney Crosby contributed an assist for his 999th NHL point.

“I feel OK,” said Malkin, who had a left leg injury. “The first game (back) is always hard. The first period I was a little bit tired. But I hope next game my confidence comes back and (how I feel) comes back.

“It’s more fun to play a game. The last two weeks I just worked hard in practice.”

Murray, who has allowed two or fewer goals in four of his last five starts, praised Malkin.

“He’s one of the best in the world, so we’ve come to kind of expect that from a guy like him, and he showed it — he got that huge first goal for us, and we didn’t look back,” the goalie said.

Chris Kunitz and Jake Guentzel were on Crosby’s line because his usual linemates– Bryan Rust and Conor Sheary– are both recovering from upper-body injuries. Carl Hagelin also sat out with a concussion.

“Sid’s line, although I don’t think they’ve gotten rewarded on the score sheet the last few games for what they’re doing out there; they’ve created a lot of opportunities,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “The puck hasn’t gone in for them the last couple of games, but certainly, we’ve really liked the line and what it’s been generating offensively.”

The Penguins (35-13-7) are second in the Metropolitan Division with 77 points, two more than the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Rangers. The Washington Capitals lead the division with 84.

Malkin gave Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead at 5:16 of the second period. Olli Maatta shot into the crease off Malkin’s skate, which allowed Malkin to tap the puck past goalie Ryan Miller.

Guentzel doubled the lead at 2:27 of the third period, with an assist from Crosby, and then Malkin assisted on Phil Kessel’s goal that made it 3-0 with 5:57 left.

Malkin is second on the Penguins with 23 goals and 56 points, behind Crosby (30, 61).

Matt Cullen scored the final goal with 1:57 remaining in the game.

The Canucks (25-26-6) are four points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference having played two more games.

Vancouver’s biggest scoring chance came when Jack Skille shot into Murray’s glove during a 2-on-1 with 4:01 left in the first period.

The Canucks next visit the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, when the Penguins host the Winnipeg Jets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3On3iTTx2Q

PITTSBURGH, PA – FEBRUARY 14: Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates after scoring a goal against the Vancouver Canucks at PPG PAINTS Arena on February 14, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Matt Kincaid/Getty Images)

The Pittsburgh Penguins fell to the Washington Capitals 7-1 at Verizon Center on Wednesday, and Matt Murray probably felt that loss sting even more than his teammates did.

Penguins’ Matt Murray Takes Hit To Head In 7-1 Loss To Capitals, Leaves Game Early

The Penguins goalie left the game with 24 seconds remaining in the first period following a scramble near the net when he lost his helmet and was hit in the face by teammate Evgeni Malkin’s stick.

Malkin went to shove Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner and hit Murray, whose mask came off.

Murray did not return but said he went through the NHL’s concussion protocol and was medically cleared.

“I’m fine,” Murray said. “I had to go through the protocol, which I think is a little bit unnecessary. I think I was fine. They took me off for the hit that knocked my helmet off. After that, it was just coach’s decision to keep me out.”

Marc-Andre Fleury came on to replace Murray, and allowed a goal to T.J. Oshie with 7.9 seconds remaining as Pittsburgh trailed 3-0. Fleury allowed five goals on 25 shots.

Coach Mike Sullivan stated his decision regarding his decision to take Murray out of the game: “I thought it made sense for a lot of reasons.”

Murray made 12 saves for the Penguins (10-4-2). The goalie missed the start of the last playoffs due to a concussion and the start of this regular season with a broken hand from the World Cup of Hockey.

Oshie opened scoring with a shorthanded goal off a rebound at 7:32 of the first period. Nicklas Backstrom then made it 2-0 at 17:30 of the first with his goal on the rush from the right circle.

Oshie netted his second on Fleury at the end of the first.

Dmitry Orlov scored at 5:19 of the second period to make it 4-0. Justin Williams then scored on the power play at 5:37 of the third period for a 5-0 lead, and Alex Ovechkin netted his eighth goal of the season at 10:26 to make it 6-0.

Braden Holtby made 25 saves for the Capitals (10-4-2).

Phil Kessel scored Pittsburgh’s only goal at 16:28 of the third. Backstrom scored his second at 16:58 to make it 7-1. He has scored in consecutive games after scoring once in his first 14.

The game marked the Penguins’ worst loss at Washington since Jan. 2, 1989, when it lost 8-0.

“These games are humbling,” Sullivan said. “We were embarrassed out there tonight, all of us, and it’s humbling when you go through it. My hope is that we learn from it and make sure that it doesn’t happen again.”

The Penguins will next visit the New York Islanders on Friday, while the Capitals will host the Detroit Red Wings that day.

SAN JOSE, CA – JUNE 12: Matt Murray #30 of the Pittsburgh Penguins makes a save against the San Jose Sharks in Game Six of the 2016 NHL Stanley Cup Final at SAP Center on June 12, 2016 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)