DENVER — Evgeni Malkin had quite a few days to prepare for Monday’s game. He was ready.

The Penguins forward triumphantly announced his return from a five-game suspension with two goals and an assist, as Pittsburgh routed the league-leading Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena.

The Penguins, playing without Sidney Crosby (lower-body injury), moved back into sole possession of second in the Metropolitan Division with the 7-2 statement victory.

Monday’s first period was among the most entertaining of the season for the Penguins. Six total goals. Four of them for Pittsburgh. Two courtesy of Evgeni Malkin in his first game back from suspension.

Forty-eight seconds into his return, Malkin took a penalty. Three minutes in, he had a goal. Malkin raced out on the rush after the successful penalty kill, running a give-and-go with Bryan Rust. Malkin finished it with a wicked spinning backhand to open the scoring.

As has often been the case recently, the Penguins surrendered a quick equalizer. Nathan MacKinnon won a faceoff in the Avalanche zone, and Martin Necas quickly controlled the puck at the other end of the ice. He dropped it off for MacKinnon, who rifled a wrister past Arturs Silovs.

But the tie didn’t last long. An incredible stretch pass from Erik Karlsson put Anthony Mantha on a breakaway. The big winger did what he’s done all season: put the puck in the back of the net. Mantha’s 26th goal of the season gave the Penguins the lead again 15 seconds after MacKinnon’s answer.

The game went a whole 8:37 without a goal — before Malkin scored again. He and Egor Chinakhov reversed their usual roles. This time, it was Chinakhov delivering a great feed to his older countryman, who made another nasty move for a goal.

The Avalanche pulled goalie Scott Wedgewood after Malkin put the Penguins ahead 3-1. That didn’t stop the bleeding. 43 seconds later, Elmer Soderblom had his first goal as a Penguin at the end of a great shift for the new-look fourth line of Soderblom, Connor Dewar and Noel Acciari (Blake Lizotte missed the game with an upper-body injury).

Dewar went down low and deflected an Erik Karlsson shot. Mackenzie Blackwood saved it, but Soderblom cleaned up the rebound.

The seesaw continued. Brent Burns’ heavy drive from the point cut the Avalanche deficit to two less than 40 seconds after Soderblom’s goal.

The first period might have been a bit fluky for the Penguins. They led 4-2 despite being outshot 17-7.

But there was nothing fluky about the visitors’ dominant second period. Karlsson picked up his third point of the night on a goal from long range that appeared to hit a Colorado player in front of the net. Karlsson has played incredibly well since the Olympic break. He was particularly excellent Monday.

Malkin joined Karlsson in the three-point club with a beautiful cross-ice feed to Rust, who scored his fourth goal in four games to put the Penguins up 6-2.

The fourth line got on the board again to extend the advantage just over nine minutes into the third period. Acciari tapped in a crafty pass from Soderblom in front of the crease. Dewar picked up his second assist of the night on the play.

Silovs made some excellent saves — particularly a snapping glove stop on Nazem Kadri early in the third period, a play that could have given life to an Avalanche comeback.

It was over when…

Rust cashed in a power play to give the Penguins a four-goal lead at the second intermission.

Stat of the game

Six: Penguins with multi-point nights — Malkin, Karlsson, Rust, Acciari, Soderblom and Dewar.

Around the boards

• Crosby missed his 11th straight game with a lower-body injury suffered at the Olympics. Crosby took part in the Penguins’ morning skate Monday, as he has before every game of Pittsburgh’s road trip. He took a few power play reps at Monday’s skate.

• Winger Justin Brazeau returned Monday from a four-game absence with an upper-body injury.

• Defenseman Sam Girard did not play in his return to Colorado. The Avalanche traded Girard and a second-round pick to the Penguins in exchange for defenseman Brett Kulak on Feb. 24. Girard has missed the past few games with an upper-body injury but was on the ice for the Penguins’ morning skate Monday. The Ball Arena crowd gave him a hearty standing ovation after the Avalanche played a tribute video for their longtime defenseman.

• But that wasn’t the only defenseman the Avalanche traded to the Penguins this year. Ilya Solovyov did play in his return to Colorado. Pittsburgh acquired him in return for Valtteri Puustinen and a seventh-round pick in January.

• Connor Clifton fought Jack Drury in the third period. The Penguins defenseman took the Avalanche forward to the ground after trading blows.

Up next

The Penguins finish their five-game road trip with another trip to Carolina on Wednesday. Puck drop for Penguins-Hurricanes is set for 7 p.m.

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