PITTSBURGH - Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist in his first NHL game action in more than seven months, and Pittsburgh beat Detroit, 3-2, in the preseason opener for both teams Wednesday night.
Malkin, a former NHL scoring champion, didn't play after Feb. 5 when he tore an ACL and joined star teammate Sidney Crosby on the sideline down the stretch and into the playoffs.
Chris Kunitz and Matt Niskanen also scored for Pittsburgh (1-0). Niklas Kronwall and Jiri Hudler scored for the Red Wings (0-1) and Pavel Datsyuk had two assists.
Crosby has not been cleared for contact workouts due to a concussion.
Jordan Staal and Brooks Orpik did not play for Pittsburgh, while Nicklas Lidstrom and Henrik Zetterberg didn't dress for Detroit.
