Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin Finally Get Some Help

Just weeks ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins, last year's second place team (losers of the Stanley Cup Finals), were in danger of missing the playoffs.

A year removed from a bustling free agency period which saw such star players as Marian Hossa and Ryan Malone depart, the Penguins were left with two superstars, and many under-performing players.

Third line center Jordan Staal has limitless potential, as does goalkeeper Marc-Andre Fleury, but Fleury has been inconsistent, and Staal got off to a slow crawl this season.

Players who held key roles in the past, such as Max Talbot, looked sluggish, and at times non-compliant.

Offseason stop-gaps Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko, handle the puck with the confidence of a wet milk carton, and are overmatched when having to work alongside the NHL's fastest thinking man, Sidney Crosby, and his second line henchman and leading NHL point man, Evgeni Malkin.

Since that dreadful offseason, however, Head Coach Michel Therrien has been relieved of his duties, Satan has been reassigned to AAA hockey, and Fedotenko's minutes have been greatly reduced.

And finally, just finally, when all hope seemed to be lost, General Manager Ray Shero got on the phone and brought in some help for new coach Dan Bylsma. Most notable is Chris Kunitz.

The Winger is a handling madman, who can weave and swerve like Marian Hossa, and has been on a scoring binge of late.

Three game winners and countless key assists, in addition to standard goals by Kunitz, have swung the Penguins back into the playoff race.  Having only lost two games with Bylsma, the Penguins are on a roll.

Malkin is coming off a five-point performance (two goals, three assists) against the Thrashers, and Crosby is getting his groove back, with nifty passes and acrobatic goals, only possible in the land of Sid the Kid.

Finally, Kunitz has given me a reason to don a Pens jersey.