For the past week, the Penguins have gotten a refresher on what life is like without the nonpareil Sidney Crosby, currently designated to injured reserve due to a suspected right leg injury.

On Thursday, they endured a blunt crash course on what it’s like to skate without their other superstar, Evgeni Malkin.

That latter lesson may continue for the foreseeable future as the NHL’s trade deadline looms at 3 p.m. Friday.

With Malkin ejected early in the second period as a result of a vicious slash against Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, the Penguins lost 5-1 at PPG Paints Arena.

Only 38 seconds into the second period, Malkin and Dahlin became entangled to the left of the Sabres’ cage. After Dahlin struck Malkin with a handful of cross-checks, Malkin responded with a downward swing of his stick, striking the right side of Dahlin’s helmet, then his right shoulder.

Separating for a moment, Malkin dropped his gloves and was ready to fight Dahlin, who bowed away, holding his face. Officials separated the parties, sending each player to their respective penalty boxes.

Following a brief review, Malkin was assessed a game misconduct as well as major and minor penalties for slashing. Dahlin incurred a minor penalty for cross-checking.

A league-issued suspension or fine would appear to be a possibility, if not probability, for Malkin, particularly considering his history of supplemental discipline, a factor the NHL considers when weighing punitive measures.

Over his 20-year career, Malkin has been suspended twice and fined on four occasions. As recently as April of 2022, he was suspended four games for cross-checking Nashville Predators defenseman Mark Borowiecki in the face.

A request to speak with Malkin following Thursday’s game was declined by a team spokesperson. Coach Dan Muse declined to comment on it as well.

Teammates pledged resilience should they have to play without Malkin and Crosby for any length of time.

“For us, it’s just continuing to play, doing our staples, just working hard,” rookie goaltender Arturs Silovs said. “And we still have a lot of good offensive players.”

With the trade deadline approaching Friday, Erik Karlsson offered a suggestion.

“Well, the deadline’s coming, right? Maybe (Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas) can help us out,” Karlsson quipped. “No, I’m just kidding.

“Hopefully, he served his time, and that’s it. He’s a big part of this team, also, and he’s been playing great hockey for us, and gives us a different dimension to our offensive game. If for whatever reason, whatever happens, I think that we’ve shown throughout the year that we’re a pretty deep team.”

As for the bulk of the contest, special teams largely dictated the flow, even before Malkin’s premature departure.

Sabres forward Ryan McLeod opened the scoring an even dozen minutes into regulation by collecting his 12th goal of the season while short-handed.

After chipping a puck past Letang at the right point of Buffalo’s zone, McLeod generated a breakaway from the center red line. Gaining the offensive zone on the left wing, McLeod leveled out upon approach of the cage and tucked a clever backhander through Silovs’ five hole. There were no assists.

Penguins forward Bryan Rust responded only 168 seconds later by scoring his 21st goal while on the penalty kill.

After Penguins rookie forward Ben Kindel beat Dahlin to a loose puck in front of the home bench, Rust claimed possession and initiated a two-on-two rush into Buffalo’s zone against Dahlin and Sabres forward Josh Norris. With Dahlin opting to defend the pass, Rust accepted the mostly open avenue to the cage, cut across the front of the crease and deposited a tidy forehand shot past goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s left skate. Kindel had the only assist.

Following Malkin’s meltdown, the Sabres wound up with a five-minute power-play opportunity and converted that fortune when Norris scored his ninth goal at 4:10 of the second frame.

From the center point of the offensive zone, Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram boomed a one-timer. Battling with Letang above the crease, Sabres forward Josh Doan had the puck deflect off of himself and Silovs rejected that offering with his blocker. In the ensuing chaos, the rebound trickled free just above the crease where Norris swept in a forehand shot past Silovs’ blocker. Doan and Byram had assists.

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The Penguins issued a coach’s challenge claiming goaltending interference when Doan bumped into Silovs. Officials found no evidence of such wrongdoing, resulting in the Penguins taking a delay of game penalty.

The NHL issued a statement indicating contact from Letang led to Doan bumping into Silovs.

“Video review confirmed that the actions of Pittsburgh’s Kris Letang caused Buffalo’s Josh Doan to interfere with Arturs Silovs. The decision was made in accordance with Note 2 of Rule 38.11 (ii), which states, in part, that the goal should be allowed because ‘the attacking Player was pushed, shoved or fouled by the defending Player causing the attacking Player to come into contact with the goalkeeper.’”

Silovs was furious when asked about the sequence.

“He touched (me) already prior to the push,” Silovs fumed. “So, I don’t know what they’re not seeing. I have no idea. It always goes against us. We challenge, we lose. We challenge for our goal against, it doesn’t matter.

“They changed the momentum of the game.”

Silovs was not curt on the topic.

“I don’t know, other guy gets a little touch, doesn’t count,” Silovs said. “It was blatant. He didn’t even try to avoid me. He just went through me, and what else (are) you supposed to do? I don’t think (referees) tried to help us at all today.”

For the season, the Penguins are now 0 for 7 with coach’s challenges for goaltender interference.

Muse offered a stiff critique of the NHL’s criteria for goaltender interference.

“My view on it is goalie interference because their player skated in the blue paint, made contact with our goalie, which affected the play,” Muse said. “Which is the rule. He came in and made contact. Afterward, there is a little bit of push. He initiated the contact in there. By the rules, I thought it was goalie interference. I still feel like it’s goalie interference. And it seems like it changes day to day right now.

“People are again going to maybe question some of the challenges I’ve made. There’s been lower percentage (challenges). This one I thought was pretty clear.”

The Sabres scored another short-handed goal at 6:18 of the second period when forward Alex Tuch tallied his 25th goal during a delayed penalty against the Penguins.

Taking a pass near the right point of the offensive zone, Sabres defenseman Owen Power motored a bit to the high slot and snapped off a wrister. Battling for position between the hashmarks, Tuch reached with his stick and deflected the puck past Silovs’ blocker. Power and forward Tage Thompson tacked on assists.

At 10:30 of the second period, Power procured his sixth goal of the season and the first even-strength score of the contest.

Winning a race for a puck in the right corner of the offensive zone, Norris fed a pass to the far faceoff dot for Power. Operating with an acre of ice and a calendar of time, Power snapped a near-side wrister off the inside of Silovs’ blocker and into the cage. Norris and rookie linemate Noah Ostlund obtained assists.

The scoring was capped at 16:53 of the third period when defenseman Mattias Samuelsson – son of former Penguins defenseman Kjell Samuelsson – found his 12th goal on an empty net. There were no assists.

Silovs made 21 saves on 25 shots as his record fell to 13-8-8.

“We get a five-minute major we have to kill,” Silovs said of Malkin’s infraction that led to the Sabres getting extended power-play time. “We did a good job. But, sure, one of the top players leaving, it’s not the best. It’s one of the top (parts of) our offense. So it’s not easy to regroup. But we try to.”

The Penguins may have to try to find a way to win without two of their most important players for the time being.

“We’re going to have to change some things, probably, moving forward, if we miss both those guys,” Karlsson said. “But it’s nothing that we haven’t done before.”

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Notes:

• The Penguins have allowed nine short-handed goals this season. Entering the day, only the Colorado Avalanche (10) have allowed more.

• Per historian Bob Grove, the last time the Penguins allowed two short-handed goals in the same game came during a 5-4 home shootout win against the Philadelphia Flyers, Nov. 13, 2008. Forward Simon Gagne scored each short-handed goal.

• The Penguins have scored five short-handed goals this season.

• The Penguins are 3 for 10 overall on coach’s challenges this season, including a 3-for-3 mark for offside sequences.

• Penguins defensemen Ryan Graves and Ilya Solovyov, as well as forward Kevin Hayes, were healthy scratches.