February 2012 • - Nightwire Magazine

© Pittsburgh Penguins © Pittsburgh PenguinsThis season is the first time since that 2009 postseason thatMalkin has displayed that type of dominance. Injuries to hisshoulder and foot cost him 15 games in 2009-10 and factoredinto his slide to 28 goals and 77 points in 67 games, numbersmany players would envy but a far cry from his 113-point and106-point campaigns the previous two seasons.While Crosby battled his concussion last season, Malkin had hisown injury woes. His season was cut short after 43 games dueto surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right knee. This season,soreness in that same knee kept Malkin out of the lineup forseven games, but otherwise he has been brilliant. He entered theweekend leading the League with 54 points.The usual recovery time for a torn ACL is about a year, butMalkin made it all the way back after just six months. “You cansee right now he’s feeling great,” said teammate Pascal Dupuis.“His body is holding up. They say for an ACL it takes a year. Well,he can be scary in six months.”“He’s played very well since coming back in the lineup fromthe games that he missed,” said Chris Kunitz, who has beenon Malkin’s line almost exclusively with James Neal duringthis 18-game run. “I think just being healthy and having theconfidence and having that game face and smile on his face,you can tell he likes to be out there competing. When he’sdoing that, he’s obviously the best player on our team. He’scarrying our team quite a bit.”Kunitz and Neal have been the beneficiaries of Malkin’sreturn to form. Kunitz has five goals and 11 assists in the past18 games, while Neal has 10 goals and seven assists in thattime. Both received assists on Malkin’s second goal Thursday,an empty-netter. It should not be the ease of the goal thatis remembered, but rather the chemistry the three forwardsdisplayed in making it happen.“I try to play 100 percent every game, but my linemates andteammates help me score empty-net goals,” Malkin said. “It’s notmy goal because it was a gimme chance and gimme breakawayor an empty net. It’s three guys. “The Penguins were sliding hard between Dec. 29 and Jan. 11,losing six straight games. It was their worst skid since the 2005-06 season. But Malkin threw the Penguins on his back onceagain, delivering seven goals and two assists during their currentfour-game winning streak, which has vaulted them to sixth placein the East.“He’s been dominating,” Kunitz said. “Every time you see himon the ice, he can either pick up the puck and wheel end to end,or it always looks like he’s creating so much out there. It’s beena lot of fun. I just try to get him the puck early so that he can dosomething special. He’s obviously a key for why we’ve turned itaround.”There’s no timetable for Crosby’s return, but until it happens, ahealthy, happy and confident Malkin will continue to do the heavylifting for the Penguins.Follow Dave Lozo on Twitter: @DaveLozoFebruary 2012 •11