It’s a position the Pittsburgh Penguins are all too familiar with: a key post-season match upcoming and a star player sidelined.
The Penguins already began their repeat bid in such circumstances, playing without defensive anchor Kris Letang. But the reigning champs suffered a much more painful loss in Game 3 against the Washington Capitals, watching captain Sidney Crosby endure the one play every Penguins fan hoped to never see again – an unsuspecting cross-check to the head that concluded with a shaky exit from the evening’s tilt.
Crosby has since been diagnosed with a concussion and won’t play in Game 4, as per head coach Mike Sullivan.
There’s no question the loss will be a tough one for the Penguins to swallow, especially with Crosby having posted the second-highest goals total of his career this season, and the third-most points among all playoff skaters thus far.
But, as said previously, Pittsburgh has been here before. And while there’s no replacing a generational talent like Crosby, the skill scattered throughout the rest of the Penguins lineup has managed to hold down the fort in the past:
As shown above, the Penguins have endured 129 regular-season games without Crosby in the lineup since 2010-11 – the year Crosby suffered a pair of near career-ending concussions. The Penguins posted fairly similar numbers across the board in Crosby’s absence during regular-season play, though they saw an understandable regression when it came to scoring goals and converting on the power play.
However, in the playoffs, with the pressure ramped up and teams battling for every inch, the loss of history’s best grinder has been far tougher to navigate. Pittsburgh’s post-season goals-per-game pace falls significantly without their captain, while their power-play effectiveness pretty much goes out the window – not the most encouraging news given the club’s current predicament.
But there is one bright spot amid the growing darkness in Pittsburgh. It’s no secret that when No. 87 is out, Evgeni Malkin comes to play.
The club’s other franchise cornerstone has been known to raise his level when needed most, and the Penguins faithful caught a glimpse of that in Game 3. The two-time scoring champion nearly spurred a series-altering comeback late in the third period, scoring Pittsburgh’s first of the game with two minutes left in the tilt and setting up the game-tying tally just under a minute later.
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Malkin has plenty of experience in this area, of course. Since 2010-11, he’s suited up for 79 regular-season games without Crosby in the lineup, posting 95 points over that span. That measures out to a points-per-game pace of 1.20 without Crosby, besting the 1.12 points per game Malkin has posted through 318 games with his captain in uniform.
Unfortunately for the black and yellow, Malkin is entering fairly unfamiliar territory – he’s only ever suited up for one playoff game without Crosby in the past five years. He did post two assists in that game, however – Game 1 against the New York Islanders in 2013 – and managed another two points last night, so there’s reason to believe the Russian phenom might be able to steer the ship himself for the time being.
If the Penguins intend to last past the next few games, they’ll have to hope he can. If they’re hoping for anything more – a championship repeat, perhaps – Malkin will have to do far more.
