Dynamic Duo Is Key to Pens Success

To say that the Penguins are a top team in the NHL is an understatement.  After all, they have, quite possibly, the best 1-2 punch in the league right now, I dare say in league history. Of course, that has yet to be determined. 

The success of this franchise is very much dependent on Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and, yes, they know it.  They also know that since they reached the Stanley Cup Finals last season, those expectations have now been escalated. And not just by the fans. 

Since appearing in the finals last year, the Pittsburgh Penguins have seen a significant amount of appearances scheduled on nationally televised broadcasts this season.  They were chosen as one of four teams to travel overseas to Stockholm, Sweden, for its first two regular season games and promote the NHL, and its wonderful brand of hockey.

The Penguins are also tops in the league in fan support and merchandise sales. None of this was true in the years before the lockout. Not until they acquired these two franchise players.

To compare these two players is both a luxury and a mind-boggling task at the same time.  You have two completely different styles of hockey with each player, yet they are both superstars on the same team. 

In most cases throughout the league, that would be a problem.  Egos clash and one player wants to be the man and is upset if he isn't.  Not the case in Pittsburgh.

Both players just want to win.  Both players accepted long-term contracts recently for less than fair market value.  Both players are buying into what the coaches are preaching.  Both players are challenging one another for the scoring title a quarter of the way through this season. Both possess enough skill and determination to dominate a game all by themselves. Both players make the players around them better. They both command double coverage at times and can find open players as a result.

Those are just some of the similarities.  Let's now look at some of the differences.

Crosby is the playmaker, Malkin is the scorer/finisher. Crosby comes from Northeastern Canada and started his first season the year he was drafted. Malkin had to wait two years, escape from his Russian Super League team in Metalurg in the middle of the night, and defect from his country. 

Crosby speaks both English and French fluently. Malkin speaks Russian and some broken English.  Yet neither seems to have any problem communicating on the ice. 

Crosby is short by NHL standards, Malkin is a larger by comparison. 

Crosby is a very superstitious person. He always uses a new stick every period, goes through routines in the locker room, eats the same food on the road at same restaurants.  Malkin eats what he wants, shows up at the rink, gets dressed and goes out and plays. 

Crosby is a very physical and battling-in-the-corner kind of player. Malkin is more of a finesse player but will play physical from time to time.

Both players also have some weaknesses, just not many.  Sidney and Evgeni both like to hold onto the puck a little too long sometimes to try and make the perfect play.  They both overextend their shifts at times, most notably on the power play, and get caught in the offensive zone.  Sidney has not typically been a powerful face off guy in the past but is steadily improving.  The same can be said for Malkin, although he has not taken nearly as many draws as Sidney.

These are only some of the many ways to compare the two.  Some people say Crosby and Malkin are like Lemieux and Jagr respectively.  They definitely provide the same impact as Mario and Jaromir did, that's for sure.  I dare say they may even exceed their collective accomplishments by the end of their careers.

If the Penguins were to lose either player right now it would be a very big loss.  If they lost both, it would be absolutely crippling, especially at a time when the team is struggling with a virtually unproductive power play.  It also is not getting scoring from other players who should be producing. The goaltending is good in place of Marc-Andre Fleury, just not as top-notch. With both players at the top of the league scoring race, it's easy to see why they are so important to this team.

Last season when Sidney Crosby went down with a high ankle sprain and missed 29 games, Malkin elevated his game to the level everyone had expected him to since he came to he team.  If Sidney were to go down again with an injury, I'm sure he would do the same, just without the same supporting cast as last year.  That would probably still be enough to keep the team afloat until Crosby returned. 

If Evgeni Malkin were to get injured and be out for an extended period, the same would probably hold true with Crosby.  He would elevate his game and make the team around him more focused and determined to stay atop the division and the Eastern Conference.  Thankfully for Penguins fans, he has not had to do that.