Evgeni Malkin Finds Petr Sykora, Hope

With Petr Sykora finding the back of the net midway through the third overtime in Game Five early Tuesday morning, the Pittsburgh Penguins have yet again found hope.  The real question now becomes, "Can they find the way to control the Detroit Red Wings?" 

The Red Wings carried much of the game, nearly doubling up their Penguin counterparts with 58 shots on goal to the opposition's 32 attempts on net. 

Fortunately enough for Pittsburgh, they took the right ones, ending up on the favorable side of a 4-3 victory in Joe Louis Arena in Game Five. 

The most crucial of these was Petr Sykora's power play tally in the third overtime, with Jiri Hudler off the ice on a four-minute high sticking penalty, forcing the series back to Pittsburgh for Game Six of these Stanley Cup Finals.

Enough people will be talking about how great Monday/Tuesday's game was and I cannot blame them.  It was a great display of hope, heart, and desperation that I can pray will not be soon forgotten. 

I, however, would like to focus on what this means in the coming days.  For the fans, the greatest in all of sports, it means the season can continue just a little longer. 

It delays the long days of summer, waiting for preseason hockey in Mid-September.  Sykora's overtime heroics push this Stanley Cup Finals series more toward what most hoped it would be.  Most of all, at 9:57 of the sixth period in Game Five, the door has opened for Evgeni Malkin.

Given the recent criticism, Malkin has done little to respond on the ice.  Even in the early stages Monday he looked lost, committing multiple turnovers on the Penguins early power play opportunities. 

Geno has shown very little of the talent and vision he put on display in regular season, trailing Art Ross Trophy winner Alex Ovechkin by a mere 6 points in the scoring race in finishing with 106 on the season. 

With 19 points through the first 10 games of these 2008 playoffs he was in every discussion for the Conn Smyth Trophy for playoff MVP.  As the significance of the games has increased, his on-ice presence has diminished . He has rapidly fallen into the shadows, only to be seen by the media as a flop and a failure when it matters most.

In the early hours of June 3rd, 2008, he has been given the opportunity to change their perception.  He has been given a reason to believe can be the most dominating presence in this series of superstars.  He finally got a chance to shine and did so under the brightest spotlight. 

He may not have been the main attraction of the SportsCenter top play or the highlight reel goal, but rather he showed us why we have come to expect so much of this 21-year-old star. 

He made the big play at the big time to keep the season going.  His primary assist on Sykora's game-winning tally just might be the tonic he needed.  In this NHL, youth dominates...but only when confident.  The Penguins have proved this throughout this series, living and dying by confidence and momentum. 

Malkin seems to have just found his way, the only question that now remains is "Can it lead him back to Detroit?"