Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins moves the puck in front of the defense of Jaden Schwartz #9 of the St. Louis Blues on March 23, 2014 at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/NHLI via Getty Images)
Many reasons were mooted for the Penguins’ four-game sweep at the hands of Boston in last spring’s Eastern Conference final.
But mostly, it was down to one thing: Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin didn’t score. If those two post zeroes, there’s just too much slack to pick up.
With the playoffs three weeks away, Crosby seems ready. He leads the NHL scoring race by 18 points and is a lock for his second MVP.
Crosby is trying to make sure Malkin is ready, too. That’s just as important.
Crosby has long been a leader by example, and a good one.
But Crosby recently counseled Malkin about his disappointment at the Sochi Olympics. That’s being a different sort of captain, and it can only help.
By whatever motivation, Malkin is in a rich vein of form: He netted two goals Thursday at Detroit. He got two goals and two assists Saturday at home vs. Tampa Bay. Malkin got no points yesterday at home against St. Louis, but skated like a dynamo and had several legit chances among seven shots on goal.
Malkin got seven shots at Detroit and five shots vs. Tampa Bay. When Malkin plays well, he puts pucks on net. When he struggles, he stops shooting.
At 27, Malkin shouldn’t need a pep talk to play well. But whatever works is OK.
The East is likely to again come down to Boston and Pittsburgh, though Philadelphia looms as a fearsome second-round foe for the Penguins.
Boston’s 12-game win streak intimidates. But the Penguins won 15 in a row near the end of last season, yet disappointed in the playoffs. The Penguins set the NHL record with 17 straight victories in 1992-93, yet went out in the second round despite having perhaps the franchise’s best roster ever. It’s only the regular season.
The Bruins have impressive depth up front, and a legit Vezina Trophy contender in Tuukka Rask. But defenseman Dennis Seidenberg tore up a knee in December and is unlikely to return this season. Boston coach Claude Julien likes to match Seidenberg or Zdeno Chara against Crosby or Malkin. One gets one, the other gets the other.
Without Seidenberg, Julien has to pick his poison. At 37, Chara is showing his age. The Bruins won’t have that huge matchup edge.
That said, Julien will get whatever matchup he wants. Witness St. Louis’ David Backes playing shift after shift vs. Crosby yesterday. Dan Bylsma, the Penguins’ coach, doesn’t think that matters. Or doesn’t know how to avoid it.
The Bruins would be favored over the Penguins. But Seidenberg’s absence opens a crack that could leak a bunch of goals.
The Flyers are an equal concern. They have won five straight and have the Penguins’ number, especially at Consol Energy Center where they’re 10-2-1. The Flyers are 8-1-1 in March. Only the Bruins are doing better.
The Penguins’ biggest current concern is defense. Their forwards are what they are: Two-thirds of a legit top six and nothing resembling an effective bottom six. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury will either play well in the playoffs, or not.
But the Penguins’ defense can be a major strength if:
* Kris Letang and Paul Martin return. The Penguins’ breakout is mediocre without them. Their absence is causing the Penguins to so often get outshot (seven times in 12 games since Sochi). The Penguins spend too much time in their end.
* Rob Scuderi finds himself. Scuderi’s meat-and-potatoes style is ideal for the playoffs. But he has struggled to date.
* Olli Maatta regroups. The Finnish rookie’s last three games have been his worst. Is fatigue catching up? If that’s even a suspicion, give Maatta some rest.
Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9)
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