Pittsburgh Penguins Weekly Roundup: Geno’s Streaking, Special Teams are Rolling

Oct 30, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) skates with the puck against the Los Angeles Kings during the third period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Penguins won 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Pittsburgh Penguins are fresh off a dominant week that saw them record three shutouts and beat the reigning Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings at their own game. With a tough matchup against the Minnesota Wild coming up, here’s your weekly roundup on the state of the team:

1. Evgeni Malkin is on a tear

After missing over 20 games last season due to injury, everyone knew Evgeni Malkin would be hungry coming into the 2014-15 season, especially considering the embarrassing manner in which the Pens were ousted from the playoffs once the big Russian did return.

Through the first 10 games of the season, Malkin has delivered.

Geno has managed to get on the scoreboard in every game of the season thus far, amassing 15 points during his league-leading streak. Much of that success is due to the powerplay, as Malkin’s 5 powerplay goals lead the NHL as well.

Malkin has been magnificent to this point, but there still seems to be another level he can reach. As soon as he starts seeing more shots go in at even strength, Geno could be poised to re-join the 100-point club and net the fourth triple-digit season of his career.

2. Marc-Andre Fleury is proving his doubters wrong

Marc-Andre Fleury‘s strong play was already becoming evident in the first weeks of the season, but this last string of games was one for the ages. The oft-maligned netminder managed three shutouts and four wins, blanking the Nashville Predators, Los Angeles Kings, and Buffalo Sabres.

While the Sabres didn’t put up too much of a fight, the Preds and Kings are no easy tasks, and Fleury was exceptional against them both.

Much of Fleury’s career success can be attributed to playing on a team with extraordinary offensive talent but, while that may help a goaltender in the wins department, a shutout is difficult to manage regardless of who is in front of you.

While Fleury won’t shake his critics until he proves he can play like this in the postseason when it matters most, his form through the early parts of the season is certainly a bonus for Pittsburgh at the moment.

3. The Pens are scoring left, right, and centre

The Pens of 2014-15 are scoring in bunches and, while it’s no secret that the offense is running well, it becomes clear just how well when we look at these players in the context of the entire league.

The Penguins’ dominance is certainly extending beyond Pittsburgh as four Pens sit in the top 15 scorers across the league. Sidney Crosby and Malkin both reside in the top-5, while Chris Kunitz and Patric Hornqvist round out the list.

No other club currently boasts the same offensive spread, as only two other teams have multiple players in the top-15 (Anaheim and Tampa Bay both have two players among these ranks).

The Pens are even more dominant when it comes to the man-advantage as four of the top 5 powerplay scorers are members of the black and gold (the same foursome of Crosby, Malkin, Kunitz and Hornqvist).

The Pens are certainly no strangers to high-volume scoring, but the manner in which they’re doing it this year (less perimeter scoring and more battling in front of the net) suggests their offense may not be as prone to disappear come playoff time as it has in the past.

4. The powerplay is (still) unbelievable

It’s been discussed time and time again but considering how insanely good the Pens’ powerplay is looking right now, it is deserving of endless praise for the time being.

Through the early part of the season, Pittsburgh’s powerplay is scoring at an absurdly high rate of 41.9%. No other club in the league is coming close to them in that department, as the next highest total sits at 29%.

Last year’s highest powerplay percentage (also from the Penguins) was a mere 23.4%. The year before that, it was Washington’s 26.8%. Before that? Nashville’s 21.6%.

The NHL record for the best powerplay in history came from the 1977-78 Montreal Canadiens who posted a 31.88%.

It is rare that a team will even get into the high 20’s. The fact that the Pens are connecting above 30% is impressive. The fact that they’re above 40% is historic.

While it is still very very early and Pittsburgh is unlikely to remain above 40% for the entirety of the season, the manner in which they’re scoring on the man-advantage suggests the Pens’ current powerplay could still finish as one of the best in a long, long time.

The goals aren’t coming from blind luck and shaky goaltending. Rather, they’re the result of better decision-making, smarter strategy, and the maximizing of the Pens’ elite skill.