With Sidney Crosby out for Game 4, Evgeni Malkin assumes an even bigger role
PITTSBURGH, Pa. — There is no one way to replace the superstar presence and skill of Sidney Crosby. There probably aren’t two ways, or even three.
But if the Penguins are to smoothly transition from a Crosby-led lineup to a Crosby-less one, Evgeni Malkin will need to be at the center of that effort. Crosby will miss Game 4 on Wednesday after sustaining a concussion in the first period of Monday’s Game 3. His status past that is still up in the air. That will force Penguins Coach Mike Sullivan to shuffle his lines, something he grew used to as injuries piled up during the regular season.
Crosby had two goals and two assists in the first two games of the series, and his absence is not something Sullivan can just put a Band-Aid over. It will require Malkin, the Penguins’ second star, to harness another level and help keep the Capitals from evening the series after falling behind 0-2.
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“We can’t just put the weight of our team on Geno,” said Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, referring to Malkin by his nickname. “We’ve got to do it as a team, but it will be fun to watch Geno. Knowing him, knowing what he can do out there, he’s a dominant player also and I’m really looking forward to seeing him go tomorrow.”
Fleury’s right in that replacing Crosby’s production will be a group effort, and the Penguins will also be without forward Conor Sheary due to a concussion he sustained in Game 3 after a collision with teammate Patric Hornqvist.
The Penguins’ deep and talented roster is now fronted by Malkin for the time being, but it also includes Phil Kessel (70 points in the regular season), rookie Jake Guentzel (seven goals in eight career playoff games) and a handful of speedy forwards who create mismatches with the Capitals’ defense.
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But Malkin has consistently proven he can find another gear in Crosby’s absence. In 117 career games without Crosby — only one of them in the postseason — Malkin has 66 goals and 88 assists. That’s 1.32 points per game, an uptick from his career average of 1.18. Crosby played just 22 games in 2011-12 due to concussions, and that’s when Malkin won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player. On Monday, Crosby was named one of three Hart finalists.
“He’s skating, he’s doing things with the puck like no one else,” Hornqvist said of Malkin’s next level. “He looks like he’s playing loose and he’s a hell of a player.”
Hornqvist saw that side of Malkin after Crosby exited to the locker room in the Capitals’ Game 3 win.
It came after Matt Niskanen cross-checked Crosby just 5:24 into the contest. Niskanen was ejected for game misconduct, and the Penguins were forced to carry on without the centerpiece of their offense. Sullivan shifted Malkin onto a line with Chris Kunitz and Kessel, and he was active in trying to scratch the Penguins onto the scoreboard.
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Malkin put the puck into an opportune area on a Kunitz deflection that resulted in a goal that was called back for goaltender’s interference. He then scored the Penguins’ first of two six-on-five goals in the final two minutes of regulation, humming a one-timer past Braden Holtby from the right faceoff circle. That padded his team lead with 15 points in the postseason, a number that will need to keep climbing as long as Crosby is away from the ice.
“I just think Geno’s an elite player, and he has that ability,” Sullivan said Tuesday. “He’s been a very good player for us throughout the course of these playoffs and we’re going to rely on him that much more. And we believe he’ll get the job done for us.
“I don’t think it’s Geno. … I don’t think the burden of responsibility falls on him solely. I think it’s a collective effort. That’s the essence of a team. But Geno’s going to have to bring his very best game to help us win.”
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