Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Evgeni Malkin believes his impending hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety will merely result in a warning.

Malkin's under the microscope after he swung his stick at the head of Philadelphia Flyers forward Michael Raffl on Monday night:

"I didn't hit him in the face," Malkin told The Athletic's Josh Yohe. "If I had touched him in the face, for sure, I would get suspended. It's a high stick, but it's not like I broke his face. I think I won't get suspended."

Following the play, Malkin was given a five-minute major and was ejected from the game. Meanwhile, Raffl wasn't assessed a penalty despite appearing to punch the Pens center in the back of the head.

"It was a little bit dangerous," Malkin added of his stick swing. "But nothing real bad, I didn't think. It's my fault, for sure. The refs thought it was dangerous. Next time, I need to play smarter."

Monday was Malkin's first game since Jan. 30 after being sidelined with an upper-body injury. In 51 contests this season, the 32-year-old has recorded 56 points.

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