Evgeni Malkin knew he had to be careful.
It was the final minute of regulation, and the Penguins were in a deadlocked 1-1 tie with the Stars in Monday's game at PPG Paints Arena, a game that felt more like a chess match at times with the tight defensive play.
The Penguins could have focused on running out the clock and forcing overtime, which would have secured at least one point in the standings. At the very least, they had to avoid high-risk plays. Worse case scenario would be the Stars taking possession and getting one by Tristan Jarry before the game could even get to overtime.
"I knew it was the last minute," Malkin said. "I tried to be careful, because if we turn it over we're in trouble."
Malkin gained possession of the puck deep in the Penguins' end, and it led to a three-on-three rush up ice with his linemates Jason Zucker and Bryan Rust. Malkin knocked in a rebound opportunity with just 34.7 seconds remaining on the clock to put the Penguins up 2-1, a goal that would stand to be the game-winner.
It's a goal that Malkin said was "a little bit lucky."
"I think (Zucker) did everything," Malkin told me of that play. "We go three-on-three, and he goes to the middle and dropped the puck to me. I see Rusty is open, I tried to give it to him quickly. The rebound, I think Rusty tried moving around the goalie (Jake Oettinger) but the goalie poke-checked. The puck came to me."
From there, it was pretty simple:
"I saw it was an empty net," Malkin said. "I just needed to shoot it into the empty net. It was almost an empty-net goal."
It was a relief for Malkin, who said that he's now "a little bit relaxed myself, for sure" after scoring.
Malkin was producing at nearly a point-per-game over the Penguins' last nine games before Monday, recording eight points. The concern, though, was that they were all assists, and all but two of them came on the power play. The last time Malkin had scored a goal was back in his 1,000th game in Chicago on Nov. 20.
It wasn't just a big goal as far as the win goes. It also felt like a reward for Malkin personally after playing well but not ending up with a goal himself the last several games.
"We played against a great team, they lead in the West," Malkin said of this game. "It was a tight game, the next goal wins. I'm glad I broke my series of great games and not scoring. But I'm still focused on my game. I know I have a couple of chances, almost on a breakaway in the first period. I just stayed patient and used my chance."
Malkin's line was dominant in this game. When they were on the ice at five-on-five the Penguins controlled 78.26% of all shot attempts, registering 18 and allowing only five. No other forward line of the Penguins was on the ice for more shot attempts for than against. Malkin's line limited the Stars to just one shot on goal at five-on-five while registering nine themselves. They weren't just producing offensively -- they also played a solid game defensively, including the forcing of a turnover in their own end to start the rush up ice that led to the game-winner.
"I thought Geno's line in particular tonight was really good," Mike Sullivan said. "Geno, he's the guy that drives that line. What I liked about his line was their commitment to play both ways in this type of a game. They didn't force anything that wasn't there. Geno had a great back check in the third period catching the rush, he broke up the play. We get as excited about that as we do when he scores a goal. I just thought his commitment to play on both sides of the puck tonight was terrific, so we're thrilled that he got rewarded."
While tonight was an exceptionally strong game for that line, Sullivan said that he thinks Malkin's game has been consistent all season long.
"He's driving a lot of offense, both on the power play and five-on-five," Sullivan said of Malkin. "When he's at his best, he just commands the puck. I thought he had it an awful lot tonight."
When Malkin's at his best, the end result is nights like tonight. He's the responsible player he's capable of being, while also having the ability to dominate offensively and come up with some crucial goals.
