Malone Deservedly Wears “A” For Penguins

Jesse Marshall | Pittsburgh Penguins

Jan 4, 04:56 PM | Hype this story!

Last night the Pittsburgh Penguins raked up the Toronto Maple Leafs in a third period explosion that saw 3 goals in a span of 48 seconds. What’s more, the Penguins looked grittier and more skilled than they have all year after shaking off the cobwebs of the Winter Classic during the first intermission.

We can’t go anywhere in this article without talking about Jarrko Ruutu. We’ve seen him back to his general antics this year as he’s been getting under the skin of several opponents. I had a friend over my house last night who is new to the sport of hockey. As I watched Ruutu mercilessly beat on Darcy Tucker, he asked me what was different from that fight than any other fight? My response: It’s Darcy Tucker! Tucker is the stereotypical guy you hate to play against, but would love to have on your squad. Kinda like Jarrko Ruutu himself. Regardless, in case you missed the bout last night, the video is posted below.

Last season, Nils Ekman scored the quickest hat trick in Pittsburgh Penguin history. In 4:10, Ekman netted three goals to put the Penguins ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Well, the Pittsburgh Penguins scored a bit of a trifecta of their own last night. Evgeni Malkin, Tyler Kennedy and Petr Sykora all scored goals within 48 seconds of each other. This offensive burst gives a big of a preview to how dangerous this Penguin team can be. The guns on this team were firing last night. Here’s the video in case you missed it.

Finally, in what turned out to be the least talked about story of the night, Ryan Malone danced with Mark Bell whilst wearing the “A” for the first time in his career. It isn’t like Malone didn’t deserve it. He’s having a career year, and it isn’t on the scoresheet. Malone is finally showing the passion, desire and work-ethic that we all knew he was capable of. The boxing lessons in the off-season paid off, Malone backed Bell away easily and dropped him with a decent shot to the side of the head. It’s fairly obvious that Ryan Malone is going to try to step into the big shoes of Gary Roberts. The Penguins will sorely miss Roberts and if Malone can continue to successfully muck it out on a nightly basis, it’ll pay dividends in many different ways.

Comments

  1. Ben

    Jan 4, 06:53 PM

    I thought it was interesting that Malone wore the ‘A’ last night, and while I think he has earned it, I wouldn’t necessarily expect to see it remain on his chest. After all, Sydor was sporting the ‘A’ at the Winter Classic, a game in which Malone did participate. It will be interesting to see if the letter continues to rotate through various players, or if it ends up settling down on one player until Roberts returns.

  2. DaBich

    Jan 5, 09:04 AM

    I’m thinking it may end up resting on #12 … as you say, a well-derserved spot for it.
    Great write-up Jesse!

  3. Let's Go Pens @ Myspace

    Jan 5, 10:00 AM

    Could be that Malone will don the “A” in home contests, while Sydor will sport it on the road. The Classic was technically a road game. We will see next week as the Pens embark on the feared 3 game South East road trip that never seems to end well for the Pens.

    Keep it going guys, continue the climb!

  4. Matt Bodenschatz

    Jan 5, 01:26 PM

    LGP@Myspace, I think you hit the nail on the head. The Penguins used a similar rotation earlier in the year with Gonchar and Roberts, while Recchi remained the permanent.

    Now that Roberts is out and Recchi is gone, Gonchar has become a permanent alternate, while Sydor (likely) will be an alternate on the road, while Malone (likely) is the alternate at home.

    To be honest, both players deserve it. Malone finally has become the player many expected he would become two years ago. He’s extremely valuable even though he isn’t putting too many points on the board. Sydor finally has rounded into shape as a solidifying defensive presence on the blueline. This is the guy Ray Shero wanted when he handed out a two-year contract. He’s a big reason why the Penguins are winning so much right now.

  5. Let's Go Pens @ Myspace

    Jan 5, 07:53 PM

    Malone has matured slowly for sure, but is showing promise/potential/passion we all knew he had. He was on my short list of Pens likely to not be on the roster by the deadline, but now, can’t imagine him playing elsewhere.

    Also Sydor just needed time it seems, adjusting to new team mates, and Boss T’s system. Not to mention two goaltenders who ne’er dare venture out of the crease to play the puck. Now w/ Conks playing the 3rd defenseman role, and the confidence of knowing he won’t be a healthy scratch anytime soon, he has filled in nicely.

    Two guys who deserve to rotate the “A”

    Eaton also had the “A” for a couple of games in Gonchar’s absence. But unfortunately he won’t be needing it anytime soon.

    Thanks for answering, and keep up the solid work, love the site!

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