Malkin's goal now is to down the Flyers

Monday, April 13, 2009
By Dave Molinari, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

Paul Chiasson/AP

Evgeni Malkin -- Back-to-back 100-point seasons

Evgeni Malkin knows all about those banners that were raised at Mellon Arena before the start of this season.

Especially the one that lists the 12 NHL scoring championships the Penguins had won.

"Every game, I see it," Malkin said.

And now, he'll be on it -- or some reconfigured version of it, anyway -- joining Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Sidney Crosby. Those four have combined to win 13 of the past 21 league scoring titles, including the one Malkin locked up with 113 points in 2008-09.

"It's a special accomplishment, and well-deserved," Crosby said. "He had an unbelievable year."

Point No. 113 was the Penguins' first goal in their 3-1 victory at Montreal in the regular-season finale Saturday, and Malkin's achievement enhanced the satisfaction and sense of accomplishment his teammates felt after going 18-3-4 in their final 25 games to surge from 10th place in the Eastern Conference to fourth. "It's something that's been in the back of all of our minds," Penguins interim coach Dan Bylsma said. "Maybe in the front of [Malkin's] mind for a while."

Although Lemieux and Jagr combined to win 11 of those 13 Art Ross trophies, Malkin and Crosby have a distinction unmatched in league history: They make the Penguins the first club to have two scoring champions under the age of 23 on its roster at the same time.

Whether the Penguins can again dominate the scoring race the way they did when Lemieux and Jagr were in their primes is hard to predict -- guys such as Alex Ovechkin and Zach Parise, among others, should turn up in the mix pretty often, too -- but it's not a reach to suggest that Malkin and Crosby might battle each other for the Ross every winter for another decade or so.

"I don't think you want to think about it a whole lot, but if that works out, that's great," Crosby said. "That means we're able to produce and help the team, and there's nothing wrong with that."

Malkin deflected -- or, perhaps, simply didn't understand -- a question about whether winning the Ross had been one of his personal objectives entering this season, but if it was, he didn't share it with his teammates. Including the one with whom he is closest.

"We never talked about it," defenseman Sergei Gonchar said. "He never told me, 'This is my goal.'

"I don't think he's a guy who aims for those records. He's a guy who enjoys the game and tries to be effective."

Malkin made a serious run at the Ross in 2007-08, but lost out to Ovechkin by six points. Even so, the way he ratcheted up his game when Crosby was out with a high ankle sprain helped lay the foundation for what he did this season.

"He got a lot of confidence when Sid got hurt last year," said Petr Sykora, a fixture on Malkin's right side. "He was the guy, and he almost won it last year."

Sykora believes Malkin and Crosby will be on the short list of Ross contenders for years to come.

"He can get better, Sid can get better," he said. "Both of those guys each year can be [at] 120, 130 points. That's how good they are."

Gonchar agreed that Malkin still can elevate his game, and said that will be reflected in greater consistency.

"You can see him [now] play unbelievably for a stretch, then he might play well, but not as great," Gonchar said.

"When you look at him, compared to other guys, he's still a kid. When he matures physically, he'll bring himself to that level on an every-night basis."

For now, however, the Penguins are focused on their first-round playoff series against Philadelphia, and their chances of surviving that best-of-seven will improve significantly if Malkin is at his best.

His career stat sheet against the Flyers -- 13 goals and 18 assists in 21 regular-season games -- suggests that isn't too much to expect, even though he was largely ineffective in the 2008 Eastern final after absorbing a crushing check from Philadelphia center Mike Richards.

"The team's ready, and I'm ready," Malkin said. "Everybody's playing good now."

Dave Molinari can be reached at dmolinari@post-gazette.com.
First published on April 13, 2009 at 12:00 am