Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Peter Diana/Post-Gazette
Evgeni Malkin gets caught up under Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist late in deciding game Sunday at Mellon Arena.
Perhaps the Penguins long ago should have called in the best archeologists. Even as methodical as they are, maybe they could have unearthed Evgeni Malkin's personality a little faster than it has emerged on its own in a new language.
Twenty-one months after he arrived in Pittsburgh to sign his NHL rookie contract, the enigmatic center's off-ice nature remains nearly buried to all but his teammates, even while his hockey skills have jetted him to the forefront of his sport as he and the team prepare to play Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference final starting tomorrow.
There are, though, starting to be some clues about the lanky Russian. Brush away a little dust, and an edge of Malkin's funny bone emerges.
After the Penguins' 3-2, overtime win Sunday that eliminated the New York Rangers -- and featured a spectacular, turnaround backhand goal by Malkin -- he was reminded of something he said earlier this season about Philadelphia.
After he had a goal and three assists in a 4-3 win Feb. 10 that broke a four-game losing streak to the Penguins' cross-state rivals, Malkin said he didn't like the Flyers, playing against them or playing in Wachovia Center, where, he said, fans pelt the Penguins' bench with popcorn.
Despite gaining that insight on the rivalry, he wasn't quite willing to repeat that with the playoff matchup looming.
"I don't like anybody," Malkin, 21, said in what would have been a snappier retort if it hadn't had to be cycled through interpreter George Birman.
"If I like them or not, we have to play them."
And whether the Flyers like it or not, they have to play against Malkin, a finalist for the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP.
"He's emerged as a world-class player and he's continued to play well right through the playoffs," Philadelphia coach John Stevens said.
Malkin finished second in the NHL in the regular season with 106 points, and his 14 playoff points in nine games have him tied with four others for first among scorers whose teams are still alive.
One of the others with 14 points is teammate Sidney Crosby, whose road to possibly repeating as the NHL scoring champion and MVP was derailed by an ankle injury, one that forced him to miss 28 games in the regular season and opened the door for Malkin to shine.
"Malkin, he reminds me of [former Flyer] Peter Forsberg in his prime, protecting the puck, making plays," said Philadelphia defenseman Kimmo Timonen, who is likely to be on the ice when Malkin is.
Crosby has two goals to Malkin's six this postseason and -- based on the way Malkin has dazzled, dipsy-doodled and dominated several games this postseason -- might have slipped to a spot alongside Malkin or even a skate blade's width behind him at the top of a short list of the world's best players.
"Geno's flying out there," Crosby said, using Malkin's American nickname.
That's far different from the end of last season, when Malkin had 85 points and won the Calder Trophy as the NHL rookie of the year but was spent and a little lost at playoff time. He had four assists but was hardly dominant, or even noticeable, in the Penguins' five-game loss to Ottawa in the first round.
This time, he knew what to expect.
"I figured that out last year when I had my first playoff experience," Malkin said through Birman. "It's a completely different game, different hockey."
He also realized how to condition and pace himself after playing more games than he ever had in a season and after a tumultuous summer 2006 when he broke away from his Russian Super League team to come to North America. "I feel great," Malkin said, also through Birman.
Great enough that more and more he will attempt some English interaction with those outside the team, especially if there are no cameras or microphones nearby.
He was asked one-on-one in English after a practice this week about faceoffs, perhaps the only component of his game that is not world class (39.3 percent winning clip in the regular season, 40.9 percent in the playoffs). He first shrugged and, in his deep voice and very understandable English answered, "Not good."
Thinking about it a couple seconds longer, he decided to offer an explanation.
"My arms are skinny," Malkin said, looking down at the portions not covered by his T-shirt sleeves.
Then, with a grin, he dipped his shoulder and slipped through a door to an area -- and a world -- accessible only to the players.
Shelly Anderson can be reached at shanderson@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1721.
First published on May 8, 2008 at 12:00 am
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