MORRISVILLE, N.C. — “Back to the Future” didn’t take place in North Carolina, but for a weekend, it might feel that way.
The Penguins arrived in the Raleigh area a day in advance of their game against the Hurricanes on Sunday and practiced on Saturday afternoon at Invisalign Arena, the Hurricanes’ practice facility. A few miles down Tobacco Road, Carolina hosted the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night before hosting the Penguins less than 24 hours later.
All of which means, for a night, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Marc-Andre Fleury and Jordan Staal were all in the same city.
“Good memories,” Malkin said after the Penguins practiced. “Good guys, too. But it was a long time ago now.”
In the case of Staal, it especially was.
Almost 13 years have now passed since Staal was traded from Pittsburgh to Carolina in a moment that produced screams, cries, cheers and groans at the NHL Draft in Pittsburgh.
Staal, now the captain of the Hurricanes, is playing for one of hockey’s best teams even if he’s not yet led them to a championship. The Hurricanes are, if nothing less, a terrific regular season team.
Just ask the Penguins.
Raleigh has been quite unkind to the Penguins in recent years, largely because of their inability to penetrate Carolina’s defensive work, which largely revolves around the 6-foot-5 Staal. The Penguins are 0-4-3 in their last seven games in Raleigh. They haven’t won in Raleigh since Dec. 22, 2018.
In those seven straight losses in Raleigh, the Penguins have scored only 12 goals.
What makes Carolina so hard to play against?
“Lots of things,” Malkin said.
Then, he thought a little harder.
“Staalsy,” he continued.
For years after Staal’s trade to Carolina in 2012, Staal has matched up against Malkin and has largely shut him down. The numbers are astonishing.
In Malkin’s seven most recent games in Raleigh, he has been held to no goals and only one assist. He’s a minus-4 in those games and has been held without a shot on goal in three of them.
Crosby has three goals and six points in Raleigh during this seven-game losing streak and is a plus-4. He also has registered 25 shots in that stretch.
So, Crosby’s numbers have been pedestrian for his standards but reasonable. Malkin’s have been dreadful.
The Staal factor is real.
“He’s so physical,” Crosby said. “Big body. Smart. He’s been playing that role for a really long time. It’s a role he’s comfortable with. He takes a lot of pride in doing a good job.”
Crosby might not particularly enjoy playing against Staal, but Malkin, logic would indicate, must hate it. The numbers speak for themselves.
Malkin, though, says otherwise.
“Nah,” he said. “I love Staalsy and I love playing against him. I love the challenge.”
Jordan Staal and Evgeni Malkin played on the same line as rookies during the 2006-07 season. (Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
Malkin and Staal have quite a history together. They played on the same line as rookies during the 2006-07 season. Malkin was 20 and Staal was 18. Malkin won the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year, putting up 85 points in 78 games. Staal, a natural center who played on Malkin’s left wing that season, scored what remains a career-high 29 goals.
“Good left wing for me,” Malkin said with a grin.
He’s an even better center.
Malkin broke down why Staal remains a formidable challenge to play against.
“He knows my game, and I know he does,” Malkin explained. “He uses his size. He’s huge. And he’s so strong. When you go to the boards, you think you have time, but then he’s all over you, pushing you around. And I think Staalsy sometimes doesn’t look like he’s skating that fast. Maybe it’s because he’s big. But he’s actually pretty quick. People don’t understand how well he skates. It all makes him really hard to play against.”
Malkin feels like Staal’s eyes light up when he sees his old friends.
“He always plays his best against Pittsburgh, his best game,” Malkin said. “I know he gets up for us. And he’s a friend of mine. We don’t talk about as when we were young and teammates, but we still talk after games. I respect Staalsy. He’s a real leader, even when we were young. I’m sure he’s a good captain here. He always plays well against us, makes it a one-on-one game against me. He’s good at it. He’s hard to play against when he does that.”
The Penguins have not only lost seven straight games on the road against Carolina but have also failed to exceed two goals in any of those games.
Malkin’s inability to produce is a big reason why.
The games are almost always close in Raleigh, but the Penguins simply can’t muster enough offense. Their seven-game skid here includes losses of 3-2 (shootout), two 3-2 overtime losses, a 2-1 loss and a 3-2 loss.
Michael Bunting, one of the hottest members of the Penguins who happens to be playing on Malkin’s line, played briefly in Carolina but he played for the Hurricanes long enough to become a Staal believer.
“He knows his role,” Bunting said. “He’s really big and strong, yes. But the thing about him is how smart he is.”
Staal famously turned down a massive contract offer from Ray Shero in 2012, opting to play with his brother, Eric, who was then with the Hurricanes.
The captain of Carolina doesn’t regret the decision, though it wasn’t easy.
“My mind goes back to those days in Pittsburgh with those guys quite a bit,” he said. “I struggled with that decision so much. On one hand, I knew I’d be part of a really good team for a really long time if I stayed in Pittsburgh. And watching them win (in 2016 and 2017) hurt. But I also had an opportunity to play with my brother, to be there for his kids’ birthdays, stuff like that. And just to play with him in the NHL. It was a very, very hard decision. But no regrets. This is my home now. Pittsburgh will always have a lot of fond memories for me, though.”
And, as Malkin said, Staal gets up to see his old friends.
“It’s always special,” Staal said.
Lately, so is Staal’s defensive work against them. Staal only has four goals and is obviously on the back nine of his career. His ability to shut down great players, however, remains elite.
“Staalsy always plays us tough,” Malkin said.
PRACTICE NOTES — Letang, out since Dec. 28 with a lower-body injury sustained against the Islanders, participated in a full practice with the Penguins on Saturday and said he felt good afterward. Also, Letang mentioned that the injury he’s dealing with is something he’s endured numerous times in his career and that he knows how to handle it. He sounded like a player who will be back in the lineup sooner rather than later … The Penguins practiced for about 35 minutes on Saturday afternoon following a late-night flight from Fort Lauderdale following their 3-2 shootout loss to the Panthers on Friday … Everyone practiced except for Phil Tomasino, who left with a lower-body injury in the third period against Florida. Mike Sullivan said he is still being evaluated.
(Top photo of Jordan Staal facing off against Evgeni Malkin: Josh Lavallee / NHLI via Getty Images)
