The Pittsburgh Penguins managed to get three of a possible four points over the weekend at PPG Paints Arena. The Pens beat the Boston Bruins 5-4 on Sunday, a day after they picked up a point for a 4-3 shootout loss to Philadelphia.

Those were the first two games the Penguins had to play without Evgeni Malkin as he is serving a five-game suspension for slashing Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin in the head.

Malkin did that while the Pens were already trying to maintain a playoff spot with captain Sidney Crosby sidelined because of injury.

Mark Madden of TribLive and 105.9 The X isn’t willing to allow the Penguins’ moderate success so far without Malkin to be a reason to dilute the impact of the veteran forward’s actions on the ice.

“I thought that slash and that suspension was one of the most selfish acts in the history of Penguins hockey,” Madden said during this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast. “It could easily wind up costing them a playoff berth.”

Madden says Malkin’s act probably comes from a place of petulance because he doesn’t have a contract extension yet.

“For people who think that’s not connected to his contract dispute, him having the boo-boo face over it, the two games before that, he mailed it in. He looked terrible out there, so I think what he’s doing is an embarrassment, most of all, to himself,” Madden said.

Despite Madden’s belief that Malkin is pouting, he still backs the decision made by Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas to wait until after the season to discuss a contract extension with the future Hall of Famer.

“I think Kyle Dubas did the right thing in wanting Geno to wait till the end of the season to talk about this,” Madden continued. “I’m not sure Kyle’s going to keep him. In fact, I rather doubt it, especially given this suspension, and how (Malkin) put himself and his hurt feelings ahead of the team. I don’t think Kyle had any intention at season’s beginning that this would be anything but Geno’s last year.”

Madden knows that may end up being messy, but how is it avoided?

“With Geno it is going to end badly no matter what,” Madden concluded. “He’s going to want to play another year. It’ll just have a bad end. So why not get it over with if you don’t think he’s going to be a guy who can sustain this level of play next year at age 40 — which you have every reason to doubt.”

Also during the podcast, Madden and I talk about Pittsburgh’s play at center with Crosby out, the goaltending over the weekend, Jeff Capel’s future at Pitt, the Steelers’ pending free agent moves and the Andrew McCutchen situation with the Texas Rangers.