Time and time again, Evgeni Malkin’s heroics are overshadowed by Sidney Crosby’s even-more-brilliant work, to the point that it’s easy to forget how special No. 71 really has been.
Tuesday presents a useful reminder of both points: Malkin quietly hit the 800-point mark ... with the primary assist going to Crosby.
Malkin hit that impressive plateau in just the 680th game of his remarkable career, giving him 15 goals and 40 points (and possibly counting) in 36 games so far in 2016-17.
Here’s the power-play goal that did it:
It’s worth noting that Malkin stands alongside Crosby as a guy with some “What if?” questions thanks to injuries. He was limited to 57 games last season and has been clocking in the 60 games played range more often than not lately.
Even with all of those issues, he’s regularly scoring at a point-per-game pace or higher, something that’s easier to realize when you consider 800 points in 680 games. Remarkable stuff.
You could say that he’s chisteled his spot on the Penguins’ Mount Rushmore in the process:
.@penguins players to record 800 points:
— Penguins PR (@PenguinsPR) December 28, 2016
Mario Lemieux - 1,723
Jaromir Jagr - 1,079
Sidney Crosby - 977
Evgeni Malkin - 800
Congrats Geno!!
Update: Crosby scored his 25th goal of the season in this one and the Penguins continued their strong work with a 5-2 win against the Devils.
Sidney Crosby of the @penguins pushed his point streak to five games (4-4—8) and leads the NHL with 25 goals this season (30 GP). #PITvsNJD pic.twitter.com/exIEG35BXL
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 28, 2016