By Shelly Anderson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Peter Diana/Post-Gazette
Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin has 73 points in 65 games this season.
In two games sandwiched around one he missed because he was sick, Penguins center Evgeni Malkin gave his coach reason to be encouraged.
"I do see an elevation in his game," Dan Bylsma said.
With the 2009-10 season in its final weekend, Malkin's reign as NHL scoring champion is about to end. By his standards, he has had an off season. Going into the game tonight at Atlanta, he has 26 goals, 47 assists, 73 points. He ranked 22nd in league scoring before the games Friday night.
In wins against Atlanta last Saturday and the New York Islanders Thursday, Malkin had two goals and an assist.
Nothing wrong with that. Bylsma, however, saw something else worth noting -- Malkin was backchecking, something that helped him lead the NHL with 94 takeaways last season. He had three takeaways in his two most recent games.
"Those things are an indication, a barometer for him playing a good game and him being on his game," Bylsma said. "It's working to get that puck back. A lot of times when he gets it back, he puts himself in situations to attack."
In the first period Thursday, Malkin did just that. He got his stick on a pass in the Penguins' zone, sending the puck hurtling down the middle of the ice toward the other end. A high-speed chase broke out, with Malkin eventually outmaneuvering New York's Andrew MacDonald and sweeping the puck past goaltender Martin Biron for his team's third goal in a 7-3 romp.
"We're trying to play better because the playoffs are coming, so it was good that I scored -- everybody scored with seven goals," Malkin said. "It's a good moment for me."
Bylsma saw Malkin make similar plays in the 4-3 shootout win against Atlanta, even if they didn't directly lead to goals.
"When you look back to [that] game, he had at least three plays where he worked hard to get back and picked up sticks and created turnovers," the coach said. "That's the type of game he plays when he's at his best."
Malkin can feel himself getting better, and that's partly because he can see the postseason coming.
He could get a mental boost for the postseason. He is hopeful his parents, Natalia and Vladimir, will arrive soon for an extended visit. They became minor celebrities as they cheered from the stands during the Penguins' run to the Stanley Cup last year.
Malkin was the top scorer in the postseason and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs MVP.
Malkin likens his team's final two regular-season games to playoff games because the Penguins have a shot to win the Atlantic Division title and the second or third seed in the Eastern Conference.
They are tied with New Jersey atop the division with 99 points and 46 wins each, but if the two teams finish tied in points and wins, the Devils own the next tiebreaker after sweeping the season series.
One thing Malkin won't get to work on this weekend is developing more chemistry with left winger Alexei Ponikarovsky, who was suspended for two games Friday by the NHL after he received a major boarding penalty and a game misconduct for a hit on Islanders center Josh Bailey.
Ponikarovsky is eligible to return for the playoffs.
The Penguins obtained Ponikarovsky March 2 in a trade with Toronto specifically because they thought he would be a good addition to Malkin's line, but he and Malkin have been in the lineup at the same time for just eight of the 17 games since.
Ponikarovsky missed one game because of visa issues. Malkin missed seven games over a stretch of eight because of a right foot injury, returning for the win over Atlanta, and then missed the loss Tuesday against Washington because he was sick.
It irritated Malkin to have to pull himself out of the game against the Capitals because of stomach problems, especially since he did so in the pregame warm-up.
"I was very mad that I was sick because my body was very tired and I was sick all day," he said.
"I was very mad because my [previous] game was a good game.
"It felt very bad. It was just one day, but, when it's before a game, it's tough."
Malkin isn't sure if it was a bug or something he ingested. He wasn't willing to blame what he ate in the locker room after practice a day earlier -- globs of large, gooey amber caviar on a slice of bread.
He just knows that his foot isn't sore, his stomach is settled, and he's happy to be healthy and playing well at an opportune time.
"The playoffs are around the corner, and those are two strong games we got from him," Bylsma said.
For more on the Penguins, read the Pens Plus blog with Dave Molinari and Shelly Anderson at www.post-gazette.com/plus. Shelly Anderson: shanderson@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1721.
Penguins Plus, a blog by Dave Molinari and Shelly Anderson, is featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.
No comments:
Post a Comment