Evgeni Malkin Steps Up for Pittsburgh

After Marc-Andre Fleury and Cam Ward put on a goaltending clinic on Monday, prompting the discussion of whether or not they're legitimate franchise goaltenders, the two players, along with their collective defenses, seemingly took the night off on Thursday as Pittsburgh picked up a 7-4 win in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals. Just 12 minutes into the first period, the two teams had already scored as many goals as they did in Game 1, while Carolina held a 3-2 lead after the opening 20 minutes.

Evgeni Malkin recorded his first career playoff hat trick in the win for Pittsburgh, registering his fifth consecutive multiple point game.

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While it would stand to reason that a game with so much offense would be an exciting, up-tempo game, much of the first period -- especially the part where all the goals were scored -- was a sluggish, sloppily played game that featured a lot of whistles, bad defense, and shoddy goaltending. As the game went on, Malkin slowly started to take over.

After Chris Kunitz gave Pittsburgh a 4-3 lead with just under eight seconds remaining in the second period, Carolina's Patrick Eaves quickly evened the score early in the third period, as the two teams managed to answer each and every deficit with a game-tying goal almost instantly. That set the stage for Malkin to score the game-winner at the 8:50 mark of the third period, and then add on some insurance (and complete the hat trick) with a ridiculous backhand shot.



Malkin, the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season, now has 13 points in his past five games, and 25 points in 15 playoff games, taking over the postseason lead. Sidney Crosby, who finished the game with a goal and an assist, has 24 points.

Tyler Kennedy sealed the win with an empty net goal in the closing minutes, while the Hurricanes refused to go away without a fight ... literally. It was kind of fitting that the VERSUS broadcast kept showing a fan in the stands dressed like one of the Hanson Brothers from Slap Shot because this game ended like something out of a Charleston Chiefs game at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena. A line brawl erupted at the 18:41 mark of the third period that included a fight between Pittsburgh's Miroslav Satan and Eaves, while Carolina's Ryan Bayda was issued a match penalty for the "deliberate intent to injure Kris Letang." According to NHL rule, Bayda is automatically suspended for the next game pending a review by the league.

Once that skirmish was settled, Pittsburgh's Craig Adams was sent off for elbowing Dennis Seidenberg, after Seidenberg delivered a cross-check to Adams' back. The only thing missing in all of this was a Reggie Dunlop sighting.

It looks like the NHL's disciplinary board is going to have some film to watch before Saturday's Game 3 in Carolina.