How important is Malkin’s absence?

Many Pittsburgh fans are blaming their recent downfall on the absence of their star, Evgini Malkin. They hope that their return in the next few days will feed them back into qualifying.

I decided to do the math and see what a huge impact Malkin’s absence has really had.

Since Malkin’s absence

So far, Malkin has missed six games and during those six games the Pens lost four of them. That’s more than they have lost in the entire previous season.

They are losing these games for two reasons, they are not playing well in the defensive zone and they do not have opportunities in the front zone.

I can imagine Malkin helping out with the offensive zone part and probably a little bit on the defensive end as well, but it wouldn’t be the answer the Pens are looking for.

Last 4 games

The last 4 games for the Penguins have been terrible. I took a look at the scores and I really don’t think there is anything meaningful Malkin could have done to help.

In the last 4 games, they have only scored 3 goals, were shut out twice, and were defeated by at least a 3-goal margin in every game.

While he has only scored 3 goals in the last 4 games, he has given up 17.

That means the offense is not the only problem, the defense is having problems as well. Honestly, I think Fleury is on a losing streak and he’s not playing his best hockey. That is not cause for concern, he is a great goalkeeper who will play better in a few weeks.

However, crime is a different problem. They just can’t score goals. Since Malkin left, they have scored fewer and fewer goals in every game.

Like I said before, they have only scored three goals in the last four games. At the start of the season, they were scoring 4-5 in every game. They just can’t get the album online like they did at the start of the season.

What i think happened

I think penguins are in a depression because they were hit by so many things at the same time. I think Fleury and the offense start their downfall around the same time. Furthermore, around the same time, Malkin was injured.

It’s always a bit scary for any team when one of their best players isn’t playing. Malkin’s injury likely changed the momentum of the offense and sapped their morale. They weren’t sure how to react.

It is even more difficult when a player has played as many consecutive games as Malkin. He’s not the type you would think leaves a team with an injury. The Pens just couldn’t plan that.

It’s going to be very difficult for the penguins for a while. I really don’t think Malkin’s return is going to change anything except the atmosphere. However, that alone might be enough to win a few more games.

Hopefully Malkin will be able to start production right away. He’s a great player, but he may need a little time to get back to the level he was at before he was injured.

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