Evgeni Malkin has zero chill about Alex Ovechkin’s backchecking
Evgeni Malkin’s troll game is strong as he ribbed 2016 All-Star game teammate Alex Ovechkin about his backchecking.
Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin and Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin have always had a bit of an interesting relationship with each other. On the ice, they are fierce rivals as both are obsessed with winning. That obsession with winning is what makes them elite players. Off the ice, they were rivals but they have recently become friends. Malkin had some interesting comments about his friend and the common stereotype that he doesn’t backcheck.
Malkin playfully ribbed his buddy Ovechkin, joking, "We need to talk before the game about how we play because Ovi doesn’t backcheck." -MC
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) January 8, 2016
Evgeni Malkin and Ovechkin will be teammates for the 2016 NHL All-Star Game at the end of January. Ovechkin has put to rest a majority of the criticisms about his defense that have followed him with the help of Barry Trotz. Trotz’s structured offense combined with a much better and deeper team than Ovechkin has had in recent years have made Ovechkin look much better on the ice than he did from 2011 to 2014.
Ovechkin is among the league’s leaders in plus-minus this season with a +17 rating. That likely has more to do with his much improved team and Braden Holtby, but it’s hard to argue that Ovechkin’s defense hasn’t improved under Barry Trotz. Malkin has 19 goals and 19 assists in 40 games this season. Ovechkin has 22 goals and 13 assists in 39 games this season and leads the league with 200 shots on goal.
It remains to be seen if Ovechkin will return the shots that Malkin has fired at Ovechkin as the two rivals look to lead their respective teams to a strong finish in January.