Measuring Malkin

Following Pittsburgh’s 2-1 loss in Game 4 on Saturday night – the Penguins’ first loss on home ice in these playoffs – Sidney Crosby noticed teammate Evgeni Malkin taking the defeat especially hard.

The second-year forward, a finalist for the Hart Trophy that Crosby won last year, sat at his locker stall with his head buried in his hands. Even Crosby said he’d never seen Malkin like this. But the frustration of zero production for the 21-year-old Russian continued Monday night during Game 5 in Detroit – through regulation and the first two periods of sudden-death overtime – then something changed after the clock struck midnight. In the third overtime, Malkin was a different player.

It wasn’t so much the primary assist Malkin provided on Petr Sykora’s winning goal midway through the third overtime. It was more the way he, Sykora and Jarkko Ruutu combined to neutralize the Red Wings throughout the period with extended possessions in the Detroit end.

Malkin did the things that make him successful. He displayed his strength and used his size to hold on to the puck effectively, he worked well with his linemates, he made good decisions and he created scoring chances.

Malkin also put Detroit back on its heels after the Wings dominated from the start of the second period until the end of the second overtime.

Not only does Pittsburgh have a second life in these finals, but Malkin may be rejuvenated as well.

“He’s facing a tough time,” Penguins coach Michel Therrien said. “He’s a good kid. He means well. And it’s not a matter that he doesn’t want to have success. He wants success for our team, and his teammates and for himself, too, as well.”

Malkin’s experience, especially as a young player, is almost to be expected when the stage gets this big and the opponent is this good. Therrien admitted it’s not like the regular season, and not even like the first playoff series.

Malkin followed an impressive rookie season that included 33 goals and 85 points last year with a phenomenal showing this season. He scored 47 goals and was the only player besides Alexander Ovechkin to break the 100-point barrier, finishing runner-up to the Washington star in scoring, 112-106.

Malkin was especially productive when Crosby missed extended time in the second half with injuries, and that’s the biggest reason for his nominations for the Hart Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Award.

That production carried right into the early stages of the playoffs, when Malkin scored 17 points in the team’s first 10 games to lead the league in postseason scoring.

Then the space on the ice got smaller, the spotlight greater and the pressure built to the point where it started to play on Malkin mentally as much as physically.

“I never ask any players, ‘We need one goal from you, we need two goals, we need three goals.’ That’s not the reality,” Therrien said. “The reality is, you want your players to work. You want your players to work in the structure. And some players got more ability to be more creative.”

Malkin’s single most important assist Monday night snapped a streak of his scoring just two points in the team’s previous eight games. It halted a four-game scoreless streak, too. And it just might have restored some confidence as Malkin and the Penguins prepare for Wednesday night’s Game 6.

“It’s huge,” Therrien said. “We need those players to be able to perform on both sides of the ice. This is what playoffs is all about.”