PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It was really something that was said after the opening day loss that showed what the veteran group of Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby still mean to the Pens organization.
Letang was openly critical of the team for not being harder to play against, playing casual and basically letting a game they should have won get away. A veteran of 18 NHL seasons, he can say that and have it matter.
What we’ve seen following the loss to Chicago is a pair of games where they mostly controlled play and when they needed to put their foot on the gas, they have.
“Especially a few guys that are on the older side, they see that the runway is shorter and shorter,” Letang said. “I would say the level of commitment and discipline is pretty high for October. Guys know the great opportunity that we got. Obviously what management did this summer, they proved they are here to compete for a Stanley Cup. It has to translate to the ice.”
Yes, several of the new guys have made contributions, but Evgeni Malkin looks the like Evgeni Malkin from a decade ago. He joked when leading the NHL in scoring after three games they should stop the season so he would win the Hart Trophy again.
His play has been inspiring for this team, on both ends of the ice.
“When he’s on his game, the puck still follows him around,” said Pens head coach Mike Sullivan. “He’s still such a dominant player out there. He sees the ice so well. He’s playing both ends of the rink and competing hard. When he’s on his game, he’s as dominant a player as there is in the league.”
“I feel good,” Malkin said. “We have a great line. It was a long summer, a bit of rest, missed hockey. I want to win. I will play hard. We talked a lot about last year missing the playoffs. We don’t like it.”
While Malkin benefitted from Jason Zucker’s bounce back season in 2022-23, the chemistry seems to have grown early with Reilly Smith. The long-time chemistry between Jake Guentzel and Sidney Crosby is in mid-season form even with Guentzel missing most of the pre-season work.
Malkin and Guentzel each have six points to begin the season with Crosby scoring three goals. Letang is third on the team in assists with three even with the addition of defenseman Erik Karlsson.
As Malkin said, it’s only three games into the season, but what is encouraging is the level of play from the 37-year-old Malkin and 36-year-olds Letang and Crosby.
“They are elite,” Sullivan said. “They are just really good players. They have an incredible appetite to win. And they are willing to put the work in.”
“They are really fit guys. They train extremely hard in the offseason and during the season. They work on all the subtleties of their game every day. I don’t think it’s by accident that they’ve been able to sustain the level of play they have sustained. They just control everything within their power to set themselves up for success. When they are at their best, they are still elite players.”
“Season just started, lots of motivation,” Malkin said. “I don’t want to step on the ice and do nothing and skate around. Look around, everyone is smiling. Everyone is in so much of a better mood.”
“I do my best. I hope when I’m retired, I look back and say I did everything. Right now, it’s about doing my best.”
Pens at Detroit tonight going for a third straight win.