Penguins Notebook: Malkin is excited by arrival of playoffs

By Shelly Anderson / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

It has been a long season for Penguins center Evgeni Malkin, but he seemed thrilled Tuesday to arrive at the eve of the NHL playoffs.

“It’s fun,” Malkin said after practice at Southpointe. “We waited until the last day because we didn’t know which team we would play. It’s fun to watch.”

Malkin and the Penguins will meet the New York Islanders tonight at Consol Energy Center in Game 1 of their first-round Eastern Conference series.

During the lockout that pushed the start of the NHL season to Jan. 19, Malkin played for his hometown Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the Kontinental Hockey League. Although he left Russia before that season was over to rejoin the Penguins, Malkin finished third in the KHL with 65 points in 37 games.

After winning the scoring title and Hart Trophy as MVP in 2011-12, Malkin had a dropoff in his NHL performance in a season that was interrupted at times because of a shoulder problem and a concussion. He played in 31 of the Penguins’ 48 games, finishing with nine goals, 33 points.

In the final three regular-season games, after an absence of four because of the shoulder, Malkin had a goal and four points. Now, he is ready to recapture the form that made him the best player in the NHL a year ago.

“I feel great,” Malkin said. “Nothing’s hurt. It’s exciting to play. We have a great team. I want to show my best game because this year wasn’t great for me. I have a chance to play better.”

He’s also looking for team redemption after the Penguins lost to Philadelphia in six games in the first round of the playoffs last year. It’s something he said he thinks about “a lot.”

“We played badly,” he said. “We lost with big scores. You can’t play like that in the playoffs. We need to play better in the defensive zone.”

Everyone breathe. Get well soon, G!

(If anyone has a source for this gif that would be fabulous! I found it unsourced on the talksports forum.)

Malkin Practices with Team

“Penguins center Evgeni Malkin returned to team practice Sunday afternoon at Southpointe, a positive step in his recovery from a diagnosed concussion.

“I feel pretty good, had a good practice on the ice,” said Malkin, who has been cleared for contact in practice. “I skated with the team and used a little contact. I feel good.”

While it is a positive step in his recovery, there is no timetable for a possible return to game action and the team is proceeding with caution.

“It was a good practice, but I need a couple more (before I play),” Malkin said.

“(Malkin has) had a couple sessions on the ice, two days of off-ice workouts where he went hard, today he was cleared for contact,” head coach Dan Bylsma said. “We saw him go through three drills designed to provide him with that contact. He did well. He still needs to pass an ImPACT test. We’re going on protocol.”

Malkin suffered from memory loss after falling hard into the end boards Feb. 22 in a game against the Florida Panthers. Since he had memory loss, his condition was diagnosed as a concussion, but he hasn’t experienced any headaches.

“I remember the whole game, just not the hit,” Malkin said. “The next six days I felt good. My memory is good, no headaches.”

Malkin was skating toward the Florida goal with Panthers defenseman Erik Gudbranson. Malkin lost his edge and slammed into the end boards, with his head whipping back violently.

“It wasn’t a penalty; it’s just bad luck,” Malkin said. “I was trying to shoot the puck. I lost my control and hit the boards. It was just bad luck.

“It looked bad, but it wasn’t bad because my neck isn’t sore. I just lost memory. In the highlights it looks bad, but wasn’t as bad as it looked.”

And all things considered, Malkin considers himself lucky.

“It’s good because it wasn’t too bad,” he said. “I feel pretty good right now. We’ll see, maybe I’ll come back soon.”

“Evgeni Malkin skated back in Pittsburgh again today. And there is video evidence to prove it. In fact, head coach Dan Bylsma said, “The video of Evgeni Malkin today is sufficient for an update.”

If you want to see something absolutely amazing, more amazing than the half-court basketball shot. Check it out below.”

(Source: penguins.nhl.com)

“On loan from the Hockey Hall of Fame for one day only, The Hart Memorial & Art Ross Trophies, plus the Ted Lindsay Award will be appearing at Dick’s Sporting Goods in Cranberry Crossroads on Thursday, 1.24 from 6-8pm. Stop out to see the NHL’s MVP, Scoring Title & Most Outstanding Player hardware!”

“On loan from the Hockey Hall of Fame for one day only, The Hart Memorial & Art Ross Trophies, plus the Ted Lindsay Award will be appearing at Dick’s Sporting Goods in Cranberry Crossroads on Thursday, 1.24 from 6-8pm. Stop out to see the NHL’s MVP, Scoring Title & Most Outstanding Player hardware!”