The Galloping Geno Returns: Powers Penguins Past Ducks

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.