It was apparent watching Game One of the 2008 Stanley
Cup Finals that Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin is not playing as
well as he did earlier in the playoffs.
In fact, Malkin hasn’t played well since Game One of
the Eastern Conference Finals, when he had a three-point night, including two
goals, but was also leveled into the boards by Philadelphia Flyers forward Mike
Richards.
Malkin was slow to get up from that hit and although he
would subsequently score seconds later he wouldn’t score again until Game Five
when the Penguins eliminated the Flyers.
The proof is in the statistics.In his first ten playoffs game this spring, Malkin had 8
goals and 17 points, was only held scoreless in two of those games, and was
tied for the playoff scoring lead.
Following Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals, Malkin
has had only 1 goal and 1 assist for 2 points his last five games.
It’s true the Flyers in the Conference Finals and the Red
Wings in Game One of the Cup Finals focused more attention on Malkin, not
allowing him the time and space to set up his scoring plays.
Still, Malkin proved capable against the Senators and
Rangers of shrugging off that tight-checking blanket to be an offensive factor.
The Senators were an injury-ravaged team in turmoil so it's not surprising they could only contain him for one game,
but the Rangers were a more defensively sound, tighter checking team and they too could only keep Malkin off the scoreboard in one game.
The Flyers and Red Wings checkers deserve full marks for
their efforts in neutralizing Malkin, but one has to wonder if there isn’t
another factor at play here, if he’s either wilting under the playoff heat or
possibly nursing an injury, perhaps incurred from that heavy hit from Richards
in the Conference Final.
If the problem is Malkin’s lack of experience handling the pressure
at this stage of the playoffs it’s something he’ll have to mentally work
through. If it’s an injury, that could be a more significant problem which he
might not be able to overcome.
His critics may be quick to suggest that he’s struggling
under the pressure, but I’ve learned over the years not to be so quick to
assume that's the reason a talented star struggles in the playoffs.
More often than not, they’re hiding an injury which seriously affects their
play.
Either way, something has knocked Malkin off his game, and
if he cannot recover over the course of the Final, it’ll prove a significant
blow to the Penguins offense, one that could prove costly to their Stanley Cup
hopes.
Spector, I'm surprised at you. First you hop on the Pitt bandwagon and at the first pothole you're already throwing around excuses.
Ok, just kidding. Couldn't resist.
I think it's a little early to say anything is wrong with Malkin. It's been five games. Philly specifically targetted him, so that's not a huge surprise. And it's one game against the Wings... One game where no one on the Pens was very effective... One game where Therrien played Malkin along side Crosby on several shifts, making it easier for the Wings to match up defensively...
Besides, this is Hockey. Malkin, if he is hurt, needs to rub some snow on it and act like he has a pair.
I don't think there's anything wrong with Malkin. The drop-off in his production is more a function of how the Flyers and Red Wings defended against him.
If, in fact, he has an mild injury, Therrien needs to address it and alter his game minutes (and match-ups) accordingly.
The Stanley Cup has no prejudices. It does not care if you are injured or if you are an all-star. It has no concerns about individual playoff stats or the expectations of so-called 'experts'. The Cup is EARNED and therefore, taken, by the best team. Excuses are etched elsewhere... no room on Lord Stanley's chalice for such nonsense.
I have to say I agree with your analysis Spector and am very surprised no one in the mainstream hockey media has picked up on this possibility. You don't just lose it halfway through a post season when you are tearing it up unless you've been ####ed up.
Of course, playing through injuries and still managing to win is a massive part of hockey folklore, and hurt or not the Pens desperately need Malkin to come out and be a presence in Game 2, maybe even one of the game's three stars. Crosby is playing through his ankle injury, he has that fire and single minded determination to win. Let's hope for Pittsburgh's sake Malkin can play follow the leader.
Sadly I'm not sure if any of it will matter. Even with a healthy productive Malkin I believe the Red Wings are a wonderful team, and Datsyuk and the Z train have learnt what it takes to get it done in the playoffs. Red Wings in 6 for me. I'd love to be proven wrong and see a 7th game though, wouldn't it be great for Hockey?!?
After being shut out for a second straight game I'm pretty convinced that it isn't "what's wrong with Malkin" it's "Detroit too experienced and smart for the Penguins to stand a chance." I really expected the Pens to end up getting a lot more shots on net in this game. If Osgood gets another shutout he's going to have to be given the consmyth.
I honestly can not stand Mike Emerick. His voice is terrible, and he exaggerates so much. With Mike Emerick, there is no such thing as a shot; everytime someone shoots, its a SHHHAAAAAAWWWWTTT.
To further emphasise the point, the Malkin line had no shots in Game 2. I'm certainly the checking is very effective and Detroit has keyed on him, but you've got to wonder if something is wrong with the kid when he is generating absolutely no production.
I disagree Thadd with Osgood getting the Conn Smyth. His flopping fish routine is getting old and in my opinion is a disgrace. He stuck his arm out to close line Sykora, then goes down like a fish. Mirrored his antics against Dallas with the Ribeiro incident. The interence penalty on Malone was questionable too. He is playing well enough that he does not need to do those things. It only makes him look foolish and not what the game should be about. I don't think that type of behavior should be rewarded with a trophy. Now Zetterberg on the other hand is a class act.
1) Its easier to acquire atomic secrets than get accurate injury information this time of year. We probably won't find out until the playoffs end whats wrong with Geno. Its clear though that he is NOT the same player he's been all season/the first 2 rounds.
2) Osggod's been good enough to stop the 41 meager shots, but does anyone really think he's MVP material? Come on. Switch goalies and you'll get the same result. This as oposed to last year when if you switched Giguere for Emory you would have had a different champ.
1) BTW we concur with Duper about Ozzy's 'flopping/embelleshing'. Its disgraceful and it should have been penalized yesterday as it caused the ruckus afterwards
Let's not forget that Malkin himself said (although backtracked later and covered by Gonchar) that he was tired. Maybe that's all that's wrong with the kid. How many times in his career has he played this long against opposition of this class? It's a long grind and maybe his tank is running on empty. Just a thought.
ducknut - your closing comments about the cup couldn't have stated better.
I'm Lyle Richardson, also known as Spector, Foxsports.com 's "Prince of Pucks".,which is based on the fact I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada and I couldn't think of a better byline. I've been an NHL hockey commentator since 1998 on my website, Spector's Hockey, and I'm a contributing writer for Foxsports.com , The Hockey News and Eishockey News. I'm also a regular on The Faceoff Hockey Show and a frequent guest on "The Late Crew" on The Team 1200 Ottawa.
