It's the Evgeni Malkin Show

After giving up six goals in Game 2, Cam Ward did everything he possibly could to keep the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 and give them an opportunity to win. Then, with about 10 minutes to play in the third period, the flood gates opened and Pittsburgh took a commanding 3-0 lead in the series with a convincing 6-2 win.

As hard as it might be to believe after giving up five goals (Pittsburgh also scored an empty net goal), Ward actually played a really strong game, turning aside 34 shots, some in spectacular fashion. The Penguins were simply relentless in their offensive attack, while Evgeni Malkin led the way with his sixth consecutive multi-point game, setting a franchise record.

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Malkin finished the game with two goals and an assist, while the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season now has six goals and three assists in the first three games of the series. He's currently leading the NHL in scoring during the postseason with 28 points. To put that number into perspective, he had 22 points in 20 playoff games a year ago. After being overshadowed somewhat in the second round during the Crosby vs. Ovechkin hype, Malkin has taken center stage in the conference finals, and is simply on another planet right now compared to the other players on the ice.

After Matt Cullen gave Carolina a 1-0 lead just five minutes into the first period, Malkin quickly responded with a power play goal, capitalizing on a Carolina turnover, and then added his second marker late in the period just 30 seconds after Sidney Crosby gave Pittsburgh the lead. That 3-1 lead stood until the opening minutes of the third period, when Sergei Samsonov potted his fifth goal of the postseason, cutting the deficit to one. At that point, the Hurricanes had to be feeling confident, as Ward was making big save after big save, keeping Carolina in the game and giving it a chance to complete the comeback.

It all started to crumble when Ruslan Fedotenko buried a wrist shot behind Ward with just over eight minutes to play in regulation, finishing a feed from Malkin on the rush. In an act of desperation, Hurricanes head coach Paul Maurice pulled Ward in favor of the extra attacker with just under two minutes to play, which set the stage for one of the most bizarre empty net goals you'll ever see.



Yeah, that's Craig Adams scoring off the faceoff from the neutral zone, getting credit for the second playoff goal of his career. Just 40 seconds later Bill Guerin continued to pour it on for the Penguins with a power play goal, his sixth of the playoffs.

The series resumes in Carolina on Tuesday.