http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Penguins center Evgeni Malkin continues to insist that winning the scoring title isn't that important to him.
Teammate Brooks Orpik knows better.
"I don't care how many times he tells the media he's not worried about it," Orpik said. "I know he does put the team first, but he is a really competitive guy, and it's definitely something he's been after all year. That's for sure."Malkin, with 112 points, holds a four-point lead over Washington's Alex Ovechkin going into tonight's regular-season finale at Montreal. The Capitals also finish their season tonight at Florida.
Ovechkin holds the tie-breaker because he has more goals (55 to 34), but Malkin is confident.
"I feel good," he said Thursday, after recording two assists in a 6-1 victory over the New York Islanders. "One game left."
Ovechkin had no points in a 4-2 win over Tampa Bay on Thursday. Malkin was asked how quickly someone informed him of Ovechkin's scoreless night.
"A few people told me already," he said, 15 minutes after the end of the Penguins' game.
As it turned out, FSN Pittsburgh's Dan Potash told Malkin immediately after the latter came off the ice for a post-game interview. Soon after, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury informed Malkin of the news.
The Penguins have pretty much cornered the market on scoring titles. If Malkin holds on, he will give them their 13th Art Ross Trophy in the past 21 years.
No team can match the Penguins' 12 scoring titles since the NHL expansion of 1967-68. The Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers are tied for second with seven apiece.
Three Penguins players - Mario Lemieux (six), Jaromir Jagr (five) and Sidney Crosby (one) - have accounted for those 12 titles.
"I'd love to see Geno win it," Crosby said. "We want to play well as a team, and hopefully get it for him."
The Penguins still have a chance to gain home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs, as well, if they finish ahead of Carolina and Philadelphia. The three teams are tied with 97 points.
The Flyers have two games left - this afternoon at the New York Islanders and Sunday at home against the New York Rangers. They are guaranteed to finish ahead of the Penguins if they earn three of four points.
Carolina plays at New Jersey this afternoon. They will finish ahead of the Penguins, no matter what, if they win, because the first tie-breaker is victories, and Carolina has one more than the Penguins.
The Penguins are assured of playing one of the following teams in the first round - New Jersey, Carolina or Philadelphia.
Meanwhile, players view the scoring title as more than merely an individual accomplishment.
"It's good for morale," winger Bill Guerin said. "Everybody's had a hand in it in some way. Nobody plays the game alone. It's something special - and when you look at it, it's incredible the amount of scoring titles they've had here."
Crosby, who is third in the NHL with 103 points, says everybody has it in the back of his mind to try to win the title for Malkin.
That is why, the way Orpik saw it, defenseman Sergei Gonchar passed up a shot on the power play the other night in order to move the puck to Malkin.
Crosby has a similar mindset, though nobody wants to admit it.
"Maybe you give (Malkin) a little bit of an extra look, an extra touch here and there," Crosby said. "But for the most part, you want to play the same way and keep everything regular."
Nothing is more regular than the Penguins winning scoring championships.
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