Pittsburgh Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin ready to go for season opener
By Jordan Pink
![Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins will play in the season opener Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins will play in the season opener Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/f910f37923547fffb2da440731cb0368d1b67aa7c2e0b58777fc444c48c39da1.jpg)
Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins will play in the season opener
Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins gave the green light regarding his status for Thursday’s season opener against the Anaheim Ducks. Evgeni Malkin is regarded as one of the leagues best players and is certainly crucial to the Penguins’ success.
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The two time Art Ross Trophy winner has tallied 632 points in just 518 NHL games. Evgeni Malkin has also won the Hart Trophy for a the league’s Most Valuable Player, the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP, the Calder Memorial Trophy for rookie of the year, and the Ted Lindsay Award which is given to the most outstanding regular season player as voted on by the members of the NHL Players Association.
Evgeni Malkin has had injury troubles throughout his career. In his eight NHL seasons, Evgeni Malkin has only played two full seasons. However, in all but one of his NHL seasons, Evgeni Malkin has scored more points than he has played games. If the Penguins hope to make another cup run, they will need Evgeni Malkin to stay healthy and continue to produce this season.
Having Evgeni Malkin healthy is significant because opposing teams have to game plan for two lines that are capable of scoring on them at any time. Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz have been one of the leagues most dynamic duos over the past few seasons. Evgeni Malkin , who plays on the second line will look to find chemistry with Pascal Dupuis and Brandon Sutter, as his longtime line mate James Neal was traded, much to the chagrin of Evgeni Malkin . These early games will be telling, with regards to Evgeni Malkin ‘s production with new line mates.
When he is healthy, Evgeni Malkin is one of the leagues most dangerous offensive threats, and it is good news for Penguins fans that he will dress for opening night.