When the media entered the Penguins locker room on Tuesday following their practice at UPMC Lemieux Sport Complex, Phil Kessel was waiting in his locker stall, wanting to talk with reporters.
"What do you guys got for me about Geno?" he said.
Kessel makes case for Malkin to win MVP
Kessel was ready to make his case for Evgeni Malkin to be the top contender for the Hart Trophy as league MVP with the incredible season that he's having.
Malkin's point totals alone put him in the middle of the conversation. Right now, Malkin has 87 points, just one behind Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov for the NHL lead, and 39 goals, which ranks third in the league behind Washington's Alex Ovechkin and Winnipeg's Patrik Laine.
"He should be," Kessel said. "He's a point behind (Kucherov). Almost 40 goals this year. Why should someone else be (the MVP) instead of him? He plays on a good team, back-to-back Cups. He should win it."
Malkin's linemate Patric Hornqvist reinforced Kessel's argument.
"He should be up there for sure," Hornqvist said. "The way he's been playing here lately is the best I've ever seen him play. You can see it on the scoreboard too, he's one point behind Kucherov and he's been good for us. It's fun to play with him."
Kessel went on to say that he feels like Malkin doesn't always get the credit that he deserves because he consistently plays at such a high level. As head coach Mike Sullivan said, Malkin is an elite player and someone who can change the outcome of a game.
But as Malkin's teammates and coaches all say, this truly is the best they've ever seen him play, which says so much for a player of his caliber. And they feel he deserves proper recognition for it.
"You watch him play, he's playing hard, he's doing all the little things right also," Kessel said. "He's getting rewarded. He's scoring goals, he's making plays and I think sometimes they don't notice it because he's been around so long. He's done it for so long that when someone else is doing it the same as him, they talk about them more, right? And I don't think that should be the case. You watch him this year, he's missed four or five games and he's still leading the league."
He's been consistent all season, but Malkin has been especially good since the calendar turned. He leads all players in both goals (25) and points (51) in that span. His points total is 10 more than the next-closest player, teammate Sidney Crosby.
Of the 30 games the Penguins have played in 2018, Malkin has picked up at least one point in 24, at least two points in 16, and three or more in nine.
Malkin was just named the NHL 'Third Star' for the week ending Mar. 11, which is already the fourth time this calendar year that the 31-year-old has been honored with monthly or weekly NHL Star honors. He was the league's 'First Star' for January and 'Second Star' for February in addition to winning 'First Star' honors for the first week of February.
"He's just turned it up to another level, especially in the second half," Crosby said. "He's just got that ability to take over games and dominate and he's certainly right there. You look at all the guys across the league, he's done an amazing job and been a big part of our success."
Malkin said he's trying not too think too much about individual honors, especially the Art Ross Trophy as the league leader in points. He's trying to just focus on doing whatever he can to help the Penguins get a third straight Stanley Cup.
"I understand it's close but I've been in this situation before," he said. "I understand what's going on and I just want to not think about that. I want to sleep at night. It's very important for me (laughs). But it's a good challenge. I'm trying to challenge myself. I'm ready every game and I try to help the team to win and do my best."
That's exactly what Malkin has been doing with how he has been playing all 200 feet of the ice.
"His game is locked in right now and what our coaching staff has really grown to appreciate is just his commitment to play at both ends of the rink," Sullivan said. "I think his offense speaks for itself. I think everything sees how dynamic he is offensively and his ability to score goals and make plays, what he does for our power play. But what we've really liked is his commitment to play at both ends.
"He's done a really good job with his play away from the puck and making sure that he defends when we need him to. Because I think he understands that's how you win championships, that's how you win when the stakes are high. You have to play on both sides of the puck and Geno's really making a commitment there."
Malkin is committed and he's confident, which means the rest of the league really should be on notice.
"It's confidence, I think," he said. "No injury. I play all year. I feel it. If you score one, two games, you feel so much better. I play with 'Horny' and 'Haggy' (Carl Hagelin), I understand their game, they give me the puck all the time, I just try to shoot and do my best. I scored on an empty net (against Dallas), it's a little bit lucky too. But it gives me confidence, for sure."
