Motivation remains clear for Penguins' Evgeni Malkin

Evgeni Malkin said something Tuesday that few, if any, members of the Penguins ever have uttered.

“I’m excited to be, tomorrow, in Philly.”

Why would the veteran forward be so eager to trek to Philadelphia, where the citizens have done nothing but hurl the most repulsive and vile verbal barbs — to say nothing of the occasional beer — at him and his teammates?

He has a pretty profound reason.

“I’m ready to play,” Malkin said during a video conference with media. “I miss hockey, a lot. We haven’t played for a long time.”

The last time Malkin and the Penguins were on the ice for a game of consequence, it was a neutral site at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena during the NHL’s postseason tournament in early August. They were dispatched by the Montreal Canadiens in four games during the preliminary round.

That humiliating upset appears to still be on Malkin’s mind as he prepared to open the 2020-21 season Wednesday at Wells Fargo Center.

“I want to say we’re not happy with what went on last playoffs,” said Malkin, who was limited to a lone assist in that series. “We’re back, and we’ll try to be a stronger team, play so much better.”

Malkin’s poor postseason came in contrast to a resurgent regular season in which he posted a team-leading 74 points (25 goals, 49 assists) in 55 games. At 34, he is confident he can still be a difference-maker. But he always is pragmatic about the limited time he has to still be that type of player along with fellow 30-somethings Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang.

Letang, 33, and Malkin each have two years remaining on their contracts. Crosby, 33, is signed for another five seasons.

“We talk a lot together,” Malkin said. “We’re still hungry. We still want one more (Stanley Cup title), for sure. I feel like that every year. We’re older and older every year. We don’t know how many more years we play together, maybe two or three. We’re excited to be together again this year. I hope we play with no injuries. If we play together, it’s a great chance for the team follow us.”

Another championship would have extra meaning.

“If we win one more (Stanley Cup titles), I’d be the first Russian who won four (titles),” Malkin said. “That’s my motivation right now.”

Malkin is tied with Sergei Fedorov and Viacheslav Fetisov for the most Stanley Cup titles among Russian-born players. Each of them are enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame. And Malkin certainly has a resume worthy of that honor.

But his body of work is far from finished.

“I have great experience,” Malkin said. “I played a long time in his league. A long break, and we’re excited to be back on the ice.”

Line shuffling

In the final days of training camp, the Penguins displayed a few different looks in the bottom rungs of their lineup.

Forward Brandon Tanev was promoted to the third line, skating on the right wing with Mark Jankowski at center Jared McCann on the right wing.

That has left a fourth line of Sam Lafferty on left wing, Teddy Blueger at center and Colton Sceviour on right wing.

Additionally, the bottom two defensive pairs switched. Newcomer Mike Matheson skated with John Marino on the second pair, and Marcus Pettersson was moved to the third pair with offseason addition Cody Ceci.

Considering the Penguins won’t have a morning skate Wednesday, its safe to assume they will open the season with those altered groups. At the same time, coach Mike Sullivan said those modifications were somewhat rooted in research and development.

“We just wanted to take every opportunity to explore the combinations, and we’ll make decisions accordingly,” Sullivan said. “We know certain guys are familiar playing with certain people, whether it be the defense pairs or line combinations. Given how short the camp has been, we’re trying to take every opportunity to explore those combinations with some of our new guys and see what might work.

“My sense is that this will be a work in progress, and we’ll make adjustments when we think it’s necessary to try to create the balance that we’re looking for throughout our lineup.”

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