Malkin making his debut tomorrow

Russian phenom likely to center No. 2 line with Recchi, Malone against New Jersey
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
By Shelly Anderson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

In a way, it's a little like the Penguins' season will be starting over tomorrow night.

At least coach Michel Therrien will have much the same lineup he hoped to open with four games ago.

That's because Russian rookie Evgeni Malkin will make his NHL debut against New Jersey, giving the Penguins the overall look and depth at center that they were counting on before Malkin got hurt last month.

If the line combinations from yesterday's practice hold up, he'll pick up where he left off -- centering a No. 2 line with Mark Recchi on his right wing and Ryan Malone on his left, which could give the Penguins a powerful one-two punch with the top line, where center Sidney Crosby skated with Colby Armstrong and Nils Ekman.

"The second line has been having a hard time producing, and there's no doubt a guy like that has the capacity to make his teammates look good and create a lot of offense," Therrien said. "We feel comfortable to have the Crosby line and the Malkin line."

Malkin, 20, the second overall pick in the 2004 draft, played well in the Russian Super League, the world junior tournament and the Olympics over the past year. He went through a lot over the summer to get to this point.

Officials with Magnitogorsk Metallurg, his team in the Russian Super League, disputed his departure for the NHL, forcing him to sneak away from the team, hide in Finland for a few days, then spend a couple of weeks in Los Angeles before he arrived in Pittsburgh in early September to sign with the Penguins.

By all indications, he was having a strong training camp until early in the second period of his first NHL preseason game Sept. 20, when a collision with teammate John LeClair left him with a dislocated left shoulder.

In a short interview with defenseman, countryman and landlord Sergei Gonchar serving as interpreter, Malkin was low key.

He said his shoulder is fine and that, despite a language barrier, he's settling in well.
"I feel comfortable here," he said. "I'm living with Sergei and everything is working well."

Malkin said he is glad he will be making his debut in front of the home crowd -- despite the fact that his family has not been able to attain travel visas and won't be at the game -- and likes skating with Malone and Recchi.

"In training camp we had a chemistry that worked," he said. "We are going to try to get our chemistry back. Then we will do well."

Malone and Recchi agreed.

"In practice, he makes things easier for his wings, so maybe he will help me get going," said Malone, who in Malkin's absence has played center and has been struggling, with no points and a minus-3 plus-minus rating.

Recchi said he, Malkin and Malone were a good fit in their short time together in training camp before Malkin got hurt, and he's hoping Malkin will help infuse the team with offense.

The Penguins (2-2) are averaging 2.2 goals per game.

"We've got to generate some more offense, and when you're a balanced team -- you have four lines to score goals or chip in -- it makes a big difference," Recchi said. "This is definitely adding a lot of depth to our hockey club. But we can't forget that defense wins games, so we can't get carried away."

The team's third line in practice was center Dominic Moore with Michel Ouellet and Jarkko Ruutu. Rookie center Jordan Staal played with a combination of wingers, and Therrien will have to decide who sits out tomorrow night.

For the first time this season, Malkin won't be one of the scratches.

"When we lost him, we tried to find combinations to try to bring some offense," Therrien said. "Now we're going back to where we were in training camp. I liked what I saw of Malone and Malkin and Recchi, and I liked what I saw as well with Sidney's line. That's why we're going back to those plans."

In addition to being a skilled forward, Malkin plays a physical style. That might worry some because of Malkin's shoulder, but not Malone. He and winger Andre Roy gave Malkin something of a test last week with some roughhousing.

"We were bumping him at the end of practice, jumping on him, goofing around," Malone said, laughing, "and, obviously, he wouldn't be out there if he didn't feel comfortable with his shoulder.
"I think in the game everybody will be watching the first time he gets hit to see how he reacts, but I think he will be just fine."

(Shelly Anderson can be reached at shanderson@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1721.)