Malkin has the team on his back

Posted by Dan Cafiero.

Evgeni Malkin has excelled this season without Sid the Kid.

Evgeni Malkin is performing just fine with the absence of Sidney Crosby.

The face of the NHL, Sidney Crosby, has played just 8 games since January 5th of last year. It all started when Washington’s David Steckel put a hit on Crosby in the 2011 Winter Classic. The play was obviously deemed questionable by members of the Penguins and the hockey community as nobody wants to see a player like him get hurt. He repeatedly denied the notion of being injured on the play. Therefore, he stepped on the ice for the Penguins in their next contest against Tampa Bay.  During this game on January 5th, just four days after the Winter Classic on New Year’s Day, Tampa Bay Lightning’s Victor Hedman hit Crosby hard along the boards. He would end up finishing the game, but missed the rest of the season with a concussion and has played just 8 games this season. Whether you are a player on the Penguins roster, Owner Mario Lemieux, Coach Bylsma, GM Ray Shero, or simply a Penguins fan, you have to be concerned not only for Sid, but also for the Penguins as a team. 

Apparently, Evgeni Malkin wasn’t too concerned; he may have even been excited. The Russian star has been absolutely dominant this season without Crosby in the lineup and has helped Pittsburgh compete for the Atlantic Division and a playoff spot. While playing just 52 games this season, he has accumulated 71 points with 23 games still to be played. He leads the league with his 71 points; only Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos has more goals than his 32 and is currently 7th in the league with 39 assists. He is without a doubt, the number one reason why this Penguins team is sitting in the top 8 in the Eastern Conference. Not to take anything away from James Neal, Marc-Andre Fleaury or head coach Dan Bylsma, they wouldn’t be where they are without them either. However, nobody has been as good as Malkin, in the entire league, let alone the Penguins. 

It is scary to think somebody can be this good without arguably the best player in the world. Malkin has proved over the course of his career that he is a better player on the ice without Crosby, averaging 1.47 points per game as compared to 1.14 with him. He seems to perform at an extremely high level when the pressure and the spotlight are on him. It is even scarier to think about how good this team could be if he performs like this, if or when, Crosby returns to the ice. Can he keep it up? If history repeats itself, he probably won’t since he has proven to be a better player without Crosby. The Penguins’ coaching staff might want to figure that one out. If they do, I don’t see this team losing a playoff series.