It hasn’t been a good stretch for the Pittsburgh Penguins. They are coming off of a ten-game stretch where they went 2-7-1. Entering yesterday, they were tied for the lowest number of points in the Eastern Conference. And the rumors of a sell-off have commenced.
Last night’s 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings doesn’t magically get them back on track, but it was a really nice distraction from the kind of season it has been.
For the first time in a long time we got to see Evgeni Malkin join forces with Sidney Crosby as a linemate, and it had a pretty significant result.
Crosby passes Dionne for 6th all-time
The Penguins don’t visit Los Angeles frequently, so when you see that game on the calendar and where Crosby was on the points list, you have a feeling of when it was going to happen. In the arena where Marcel Dionne’s jersey hangs in the rafters, Sidney Crosby scored twice to move past the Kings legend and into 6th place by himself.
It wasn’t immediately met with fanfare because, at first glance, it appeared to be an old-school Geno one-timer goal. During intermission, the league discovered it in fact clipped Sidney Crosby’s jersey, thus giving him his 1,772nd career point.
It came off a remarkable play by Karlsson to get separation with his skating and then to put the puck on a platter for Malkin, on his backhand no less. Sid has seen those exact Malkin shots whizz by him many times over the years, and he has always known where exactly to be to not block it.
Over the years, Sid has downplayed a lot of his career milestones. Now that he is a lot closer to the end of his career, he has embraced history a little bit more.
The next legend Crosby will try to pass will be none other than former Penguins captain Ron Francis. That is 25 points away and should be very doable this season.
Congratulations to Sid on yet another remarkable achievement.
The Penguins two-headed monster is back
It is no secret in these parts. I have clamored for Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby to play more at 5v5 together. At first, I just wanted it in strategic spots during the game: ends of a period, taking advantage of TV timeouts, after a PK, and when the team is trailing and needs offense.
Now that Evgeni Malkin is a full-time winger? It should be an option utilized more times than not. Last night, I got what I’ve been asking for and I was incredibly happy about it. In fact, I was going back and forth on whether I even wanted to make a point to watch last night’s game. When I saw that these two were going to be linemates it made it something I was not going to miss.
It is kind of hard to argue with the results. Sidney Crosby finished with two goals and passed Dionne, while Evgeni Malkin finished with three helpers, including both primaries on Sid’s goals.
It was a role reversal from the last time these two started together for the Penguins against the Los Angeles Kings… 20 years ago
This was the most productive game they’ve had as linemates in… 16 years
When I sit here and watch Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl doing what they are doing, it is a real shame Crosby and Malkin didn’t get more 5v5 time together over the years. Because when they have been together, it’s been pretty great
I am hoping this becomes a regular thing. There is no reason for it not to be at this point. Malkin is not a center anymore. They play well together. It works. It is what the fans want to see.
Most importantly, and I can’t say it any better myself…
Malkin top 20 all-time
Sidney Crosby wasn’t the only one making history last night. With his three assists, Evgeni Malkin moved past Adam Oates to take sole possession of 20th place on the all-time scoring list with 1,421 points.
It is tough to project exactly where on the all-time list Malkin will finish up. People keep talking and pushing retirement on him, but he has 14 points in 15 games this year. He sure doesn’t look like a player who has nothing left. If he had stayed at the center position, he probably would have run out of gas. At wing, he can continue to be a positive contributor and keep racking up points.
He is 79 points away from 1,500 for his career. I don’t think it is out of the question for him to reach it if he plays another season. Currently, he is on track to earn another NHL contract based on his caliber of play. A contract that very much should be given if it is something he wants.
Up next on the list for Malkin is former Penguin Bryan Trottier at 1,425.
Both Malkin and Trottier share some impressive hardware together. They are one of only five players in league history who have won the following: Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe, Hart Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award, Art Ross Trophy, and Calder Trophy.
The others being Penguins legend Mario Lemieux, Alexander Ovechkin, and Patrick Kane.
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