Malkin awakens, puts Pens on cusp of Cup
The San Jose Sharks understood they weren’t going to go an entire series without suffering some measure of misery at the hands of talented Evgeni Malkin.
But Malkin picked the best time for the Penguins and the worst time for the Sharks to rediscover his offensive confidence. After being held without a point for the first three games of the Stanley Cup Final, Malkin generated a goal and an assist to spark the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 3-1 win in Game 4 that left them one win short of winning the franchise’s fourth title.
If the Penguins, leading 3-1 in the best-of-seven series, win Thursday in Pittsburgh, they will claim their first NHL title since 2009.
It was fitting that Malkin found his scoring touch in such an important game because what has separated the Penguins from their rivals during the postseason has
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Jose 2 June 1: Pittsburgh 2, San Jose
1 (OT) June 4: San Jose 3, Pittsburgh
2 (OT) June 6: Pittsburgh 3, San
Jose 1 June 9: at Pittsburgh, 8, NBC x-June 12: at San Jose, 8, NBC x-June 15: at Pittsburgh, 8,
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been their ability to anoint a new hero almost every night.
Throughout the playoffs, the Penguins’ victims have never been able to figure out who was going to cause their demise.
Rookie goalie Matt Murray has dealt the decisive blow to some opponents. On other nights, it was winger Bryan Rust who killed teams with his speed. Captain Sidney Crosby put the dagger in the Tampa Bay Lightning three times in the Eastern Conference final with game-winning goals, including one in overtime.
The Penguins have worked their way through the playoffs with a pack mentality. They work together as a team until one of them finds an opening to finish you off.
The Sharks had predicted that Malkin was going to earn his points. He had come into the championship series with a fivegame points streak.
“He’s such a talented player,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said of Malkin before Monday’s game. “He has the ability to be a difference-maker on any given shift. We certainly don’t want to discourage him from that.
“I think one of the things we’ve always impressed upon our group is we are a coaching staff that doesn’t believe in taking the sticks out of their hands. We want our players to make plays. We want them to act on their instincts. We also want them to have calculated risk in mind.”
Phil Kessel had two assists in the game, using the second to set up Malkin for a goal-mouth tap-in for a power-play goal. When Melker Karlsson scored a thirdperiod goal, Malkin’s goal eventually became the game-winner.
Malkin’s presence on the scoresheet was made more meaningful by the fact that San Jose’s top scorer, Joe Pavelski, is still scoreless in the series.
It was an evenly played game, but Kessel and Malkin knew it was their time to lead the pack.