Evgeni Malkin's performance has mirrored the Pittsburgh Penguins season. At his best, he has taken over games and looked like the hall-of-fame center that he will be. At other points, Malkin has looked lost and frustrated on the ice.
A quick look at Malkin's point production would tell you that his performance is slightly behind last season's pace, but how he's collecting points raises some flags. Malkin is on pace for 29 goals this season, two more than last season, but only 71 points, which would be 12 less than in 2022-23.
His slight increase in goal scoring is due to an elevated shooting percentage at even strength. Malkin is scoring on 17.2% of his shots at 5v5, which would be the second-highest of his career. The Penguins' center is also on pace to take more shot attempts (450) than he has since 2011, which has come at the expense of his linemates.
Reilly Smith and Rickard Rakell have experienced extended scoring droughts when playing with Malkin this season. Malkin's elevated desire to do it himself has led to a drop in overall production from the Penguins' second line for most of this season.
Fortunately, the Penguins may have finally found the perfect line to allow Malkin to play more like last season's version of himself. Since elevating Drew O'Connor with Malkin and Bryan Rust, the second line has averaged 4.1 goals per 60 minutes, the highest of any Penguins' second-line combination this season. They have played well in the defensive zone, averaging 2.1 goals allowed per 60 minutes.
Evgeni Malkin's point production has dipped, and it could get worse if his shooting percentage falls back to reality. The best way for the Penguins' center to get back on track is to trust his linemates on both ends of the ice and build off the success they've found in the short time they've played together.
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