Evgeni Malkin has taken his game to a whole new level in 2011-12. At the beginning of this season, with his fellow superstar, Sidney Crosby dealing with concussion symptoms and himself coming off major knee surgery, the hockey world was eager to see what kind of impact Malkin could make. He quickly made it quite apparent that there was no deterioration of his skills and his powerful ability to control the game in all areas of the ice. He also has become more of a leadership presence for the Penguins, something the team needed as, along with Crosby, the team has dealt with a plethora of injuries this season. Malkin has become the catalyst for the Penguins both on the scoresheet and, it appears, in the dressing room.
Anyone who has ever watched Evgeni Malkin play the game of hockey understands what a unique and supreme talent he is on the ice. The dynamic talent from Magnitogorsk, Russia has been one of the most talked about and followed talents in the game of hockey over the past decade. ‘Geno’ made good on all his promise when he arrived in the NHL, swiftly becoming a dominant player, leading the league in scoring and helping the Penguins capture a Stanley Cup, all in his first three seasons in North America. After re-discovering his flash and dominant high-end talent, is once again the unstoppable scoring machine that hockey fans around the world were getting accustomed to watching. He obviously feels like his knee is back to 100% strength and with his ability to provide an offensive threat nearly every time he takes the ice, the Penguins will only get that much tougher to play against as the season winds on.