A streak of fire, a breath of flame; Eluding all who reach and clutch; A gray ghost thrown into the game; That rival hands may never touch; A rubber bounding, blasting soul; Whose destination is the goal.
Words penned by Grantland Rice in 1924 to describe The Galloping Ghost of football lore, the immortal Illinois running back Red Grange. They well could’ve been written to describe the play of Penguins superstar Evgeni Malkin last night. Back on the ice after missing the first 34 games of the season while recovering from knee surgery, Geno galloped and gamboled like a frisky colt set loose from the paddock for the very first time.
Indeed, in a return worthy of an ode from a Golden Age scribe of Rice’s stature, the big Russian struck for two goals and added an assist, powering the Pens to a brisk 4-1 victory over the Ducks in Anaheim. Rightfully earning Geno first star honors, not to mention accolades from his coach and teammates.
“I just think (Malkin) brings so much,” said skipper Mike Sullivan. “He makes us so much harder to play against. I think it makes matchups difficult for our opponents. You know, he’s such a threat offensively. He commands the puck every time he’s on the ice.”
“He was awesome,” added goalie Tristan Jarry. “He does nothing but make our team better. You see the game that he brings every day. It’s going to do nothing but help us.”
It didn’t take long for Malkin to have an impact. Just 58 seconds in he snapped off the first shot of the night from between the circles. Although Ducks goalie Anthony Stolarz made the save, it jump-started a sequence that led to Jeff Carter’s game-opening tally off a turnover moments later. Suitably inspired, the fired-up Pens proceeded to pile up a 16-7 advantage in shots on goal over the first 20 minutes.
Geno again made his presence felt early in the second period. Patiently working a give-and-go-and-give-again with Kris Letang on the power play, No. 71 blasted the puck home on a frozen rope from center point. His first regular-season goal since March 15.
The Ducks rallied to close the gap to 2-1 at 8:33 of the period on a goal by Jakod Silfverberg, his first in 30 games, thanks to some heavy net-front traffic. But Malkin and his mates would not be denied.
Six minutes later, Radim Zohorna picked off a clearing attempt along the wall and fed Kasperi Kapanen, who in turn found John Marino cruising in from the right point. The young defender alertly spotted No. 71 circling to the front of the net and laid a perfect shot/pass into Geno’s wheelhouse. With a magical sleight of hand, Malkin popped the puck up and over Stolarz’s shoulder to reclaim a two-goal edge for the Pens.
Carter sealed the victory with an empty-netter at 17:03 of a quiet third period, thanks to some nifty board work and a pretty feed from Malkin. Who summed up his return afterward.
“I feel awesome,” he said. “It’s (a) long process for me. It’s (the) longest break in my life. I’m glad to be (with the) team. A little bit nervous before the game. Not a perfect game. But, like, it’s good. We win. Score a couple of goals. It’s amazing. I feel so much at ease right now.”
The same goes for us Pens fans, Geno. The same goes for us.
Puckpourri
The Pens outshot the Ducks, 34-26, and won 66 percent of the faceoffs. We attempted 69 shots to our hosts’ 44.
With four regular forwards in Covid protocol and a fifth (Jason Zucker) on IR, Evan Rodrigues joined Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel on the top line. Carter manned left wing next to Malkin and Kapanen (two assists). Displaying immediate chemistry, the trio accounted for all four of our goals.
Crosby provided a leaping screen on Geno’s power-play marker. Guentzel assisted on the goal, giving him 27 points in his past 18 games. Letang extended his point streak to five games. His has nine assists during that span.
Although overlooked for a game star, Jarry stopped 25 of 26 shots and made a number of huge saves, including head-shakers on Trevor Zegras and Kevin Shattenkirk.
The Pens (21-9-5, 47 points) are presently in fourth place in the Metro, a scant two points behind the Capitals and three points off the division lead. Next up…the Kings on Thursday night.
Just in Time
A fellow writer (can’t remember who) opined that Malkin’s returned just in time. I couldn’t agree more. With our 10-game winning streak recently snapped and an endless parade of forwards entering Covid protocol, I think we needed a lift. To say nothing of a tough second-half schedule with plenty of key division matchups looming just ahead.
BIG
Zach Aston-Reese and Danton Heinen joined Brock McGinn and Bryan Rust in Covid protocol, causing Sullivan to press Anthony Angello and Zohorna into service. With the erstwhile taxi-squaders joining fellow big-and-tall skaters Malkin, Carter and Brian Boyle, the Pens iced arguably their bulkiest lineup since the 1996-97 season and the days of redwoods like Frankie Leroux, when no fewer than 11 black-and-gold players tipped the scales at 224 pounds or heavier.
Zohorna, in particular, continues to have an impact. In two games, “Big Z’s” collected an assist and made a play that led directly to our third goal last night. During his 10 games in the NHL, he’s tallied two goals and five points to go with a plus-six. I agree with Hooks Orpik on Pensburgh…I’d like to see more of the Czech Republic native even when we’re completely healthy.
Hey all,
There’s a great article over on Pensburgh by Gretz about the comparative value of mid-to-late first round draft picks titled, “If the right trade comes along the Penguins should move their first-round puck and not think twice about it.” Very enlightening, and it kind of reinforces what I wrote the other day about teams tending to overvalue draft picks and prospects. At least those taken outside of, say, the top 15 in the draft.
Again, a very worthwhile read.
Rick
Not going to argue about mid to late round picks and that is why it is sooooooooo important to be a seller and not a buyer this season, there are at least 7 players in the top 10 that this team needs. They will never be able to fill all their holes this season or possibly as long as Sullivan keeps them small and I am not just talking stature, but playing style. It is time to move on from the Smurfs. Don’t buy a Dunsle with a first round pick, trade some of your existing Dunsles and get into the top 10. even if you flip your first pick and a player to get a better pick. It is past time to quit being a pretender. Acknowledge you are not a contender. Until management gets over their delusions they will continue to wallow. It will be a slow death spiral, but a death spiral none-the-less.
Right now our Pens are like alcoholics in denial; until they admit it, they will never recover into a true contender.
Hey Mike,
Simon is the only player on this team that I really don’t like. For the life of me, I don’t understand how so many people can be so blind, and it is just that that makes me resent Simon. My vitriol is really more directed at Sullivan and the Organization for using him at every excuse to the exclusion of better players. He really isn’t even the possession player the “Friends of Simon Society” try to claim he is. His CORSI numbers are skewed not from talent but by the fact that he gets so few defensive zone starts. Only Kapanen, Zucker, and O’Connor get less Defensive Zone starts per 60 5 on 5 among forwards than Simon. When you filter in situational factors like is the game on the line or is it a blow out one way or the other, his CORSI takes another hit. Finally, when you factor in his with-or-without you Crosby numbers Simon’s numbers take another hit. In the end, Simon can’t score n his own, and his ability to drive possession is pedestrian when all things are held equal to any other player.
Not saying the team will eventually benefit from the Lafferty trade. It is way to early to make a definitive comment on that. However, Lafferty didn’t necessarily need to be trade. The team could have easily waived Simon and sent him to WBS. NOBODY in the rest of the universe wants him. Last season, he couldn’t even stay in Calgary as horrible as their season was. He was sent to their AHL affiliate and couldn’t even cut it there.
I don’t hate ZAR but he would be the next player I would move. Although he does do a decent job defensively, he adds almost nothing offensively, and you need more than his occasional offensive contribution from the bottom 6 to win games. He is like Jankowski, but with a lower pedigree – he wasn’t a first round pick the scouts were raving about.
I don’t dislike Zucker, like I dislike Simon, and he adds far more to the team than ZAR, but 2 things, he is a better player in the west like Perron is. And 2, he is a top 6 forward who really doesn’t have any chemistry with Malkin and Crosby doesn’t want him on his line, so he is ill used here and Crosby gets what he wants, even when it isn’t what is best for the team.
Hey Rick,
The game was way too late for me to watch. I had to check out the condensed version on the NHL website.
Malkin’s 1st Goal was incredible; not just his blast from the point but Sid’s moving screen. That puck had to have eyes on it. There wasn’t much room between the bottom of Crosby’s knees and the top of Stolarz glove. His 2nd Goal may even been better. Marino faked me out. I thought he was going to shoot. He must have been channeling is inner Ron Francis. But then again Geno’s tip was a thing of beauty too. Finally the ENG was also solid work. Kapanen held on to the puck and didn’t just throw it away, up ice. He protected it until he could get it safely to 71. The Malkin took his time, protection the puck and not simply throwing it away. until he could find Carter. It was like watching Lemieux and Jagr, it was like Geno was mesmerizing everyone so that all they could do was sit back and watch.
Although I enjoyed watching the game, I still stand aloof on anointing this team. Sorry, Rick the Ducks only handed out 14 checks, hardly playoff brand hockey.
Rick
I’m with you I love Big “Z” but I don’t think at least for this year we’ll see much of him unless we make a trade
or two. I mean last night we had McGinn, ZAR, Heinen, Zucker and Rust on the shelf. I’m not sure with Malkin
back how Sully works our regulars back into the lineup. I think when everyone’s healthy it’s safe to say Simon
will be out of the lineup. It will be interesting but unless Covid slow’s down some and the injury bug goes
away our depth is going to be crucial.
Also, Jeff Carter is a “beast” – his shot is ridiculous. The open net goal he’s literally skating backwards with
zero leverage and with a flick of the wrist the puck jumps off the blade of his stick with velocity – incredible.
He makes such a huge difference with the Pen’s.
As for Geno he played short & simple (Sully’s pre-game advice) and by not trying to force plays and gamble
he was very good in his first game back. I’m hoping as he gets comfortable this doesn’t change. Keep your
fingers crossed.
Hey Mike,
I like Big Z too but if it were me I can think of at least 3 slots I could trade out to give Zohorna TOI. Simon would be my 1st choice to send packing. After him, there are 2 other Zs in my book who Zohorna could also fill a slot.
The Other Rick
I’ve never been a fan of either Simon or ZAR but I think moving Zucker may be a mistake. Also, with him
being injured it would probably be tough to move him until the off-season unless he’s back playing
before the end of January. I’m for trading anyone if it gives us a shot at the Cup.