Penguins Malkin in the Middle

The Pittsburgh Penguins find themselves back on top of the Metro Division, as of Monday October 16.2023.  Wow, that sure felt nice to say out loud.  Ya, I know it’s early, but at least there is a “good feeling” to the start of the season.  You must admit, it is way more enjoyable looking at the standings today compared to where the Penguins have been in recent years.

That said, it has been Malkin, #71 on the Program, #1 in your heart who is driving the team after their first three games.  A lifetime member of our Core Four (opps, right, Fleury was traded), I mean Core Three (87, 58, 71), who has two Art Ross Trophies (Leagues Top Points Scorer) to his name.  It’s been a while since a motivated Malkin has owned the NHL.  He was the Hart trophy winner (Leagues MVP) in 2011-12 and the Conn Smythe trophy winner ( NHL Playoff MVP) in 2008-2009.  We need this Malkin to continue on this journey.

Maklin Stat Line for the Week of …Oct 10.23 to Oct 16.2023

GP 3
Goals 2
Assists 4
Points 6
TOI-Ave 18
Shots 15
Shots/Goal 13%
PPG 0
GWG 1
FOW% 61.10%
Plus/Minus 3.00

Read Between the Stat Lines

Malkin on Offense

Goals:  It is always awesome to see Malkin Scoring Goals.  It means he is getting scoring chances and taking advantage of those opportunities.

Assists:  Malkin has silky-smooth hands with the puck and an amazing ability to thread the needle with perfect passes.  His teammates must simply place their stick on the ice and redirect the puck into the net. Put a finisher like, Jarri Kurri or Mike Bossy on his line and the #71 might win a couple more scoring titles.  I’m not sure Smith or Rakell would ever be mistaken for #17 or #22, but here’s hoping they can continue this pace.

Points:  1235 Career NHL Points to date, ranks him #42 on the All-Time list and Malkin is moving up the list every day.  He is currently tied for the League Lead in Points with 6.

TOI:  #71 is averaging 18 minutes per game, which is fine by me, as long as he stays focused.

Shots:  15 shots to date ranks Malkin 4th overall in the NHL.  I have not seen that in a while.  More shots means more chances to score for all involved.  Am I right?  Keep shooting #71, good things always happen when you put pucks toward the net.

Shot Per Goal = #71 Conversion Ratio:  13% means that Malkin is scoring on 13% of his shots.  It’s good however, the Leafs Matthews is scoring on 46% of his shots…yikes.  Nice.

PPG:  Malkin has no Power Play Goals to date.  I am shocked.  It is coming.

GWG:  1 Game Winning Goal out of three games, I like it.  I’ll take it.

FOW%:  61.1% means Malkin is winning 61.1% of his faceoffs.  You can’t complain about that.

Plus/Minus:  +3 simply means that Malkin is on the ice more times when his Team Scores a goal as compared to being on the ice when the Penguins are scored on.

MP Note: I am not a big +/- fan.  I feel it’s a weak stat that is not reflective of the true Positive or Negative outcome the player can actually be a part of during a shift.

Malkin of Defense

Put it to ya this way, it’s October and the Penguins are only three games into their season however, I’m not seeing any highlights of #71 with his head down after a goal is scored on the Pens.

Malkin on Special Teams

#71 is so smooth when handling the puck, his passes are just butter.

Malkin Up the Middle

We Want More Motivated Malkin. We Like Motivated Malkin.  Please keep this Malkin.

My View from the Cheap Seats

Section: TV     Row: PVR     Seat: Couch

Of course, I don’t have back-stage access to the ins or outs in the life of Malkin.  Nor, can I see what’s up behind closed doors.  Nor, can I hear subtle verbal nuances on the bench.  All that I can provide is my view from my cheap seat, as I watch the games or read about it.

A Motivated Malkin is exactly what the Penguins need this year. 

Quote of the Day:

“The trouble with greatness is they make it seem so effortless that we expect greatness all of the  time…remember Super Mario?…same thing”

Marc Penner – Site Expert / Author