Malkin Apologizes to Fans; Penguins ‘Need to Stop Looking at Each Other’

He wears a letter, making him a team leader. And when he speaks publicly, Pittsburgh Penguins alternate captain Evgeni Malkin usually exhibits a good grasp of the state of the team. Not so much Tuesday. The longtime star forward was as befuddled at the team’s first month as, well, seemingly everyone else.

“It’s hard because we play up and down,” Malkin said during an interview session with reporters following practice at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex.

The Penguins are 6-9-2, two points from the bottom of the overall NHL standings. Many things have been frustrating and confounding, and that was perfectly illustrated over the past two games.

The Penguins played a strong game, particularly a strong third period, and Malkin scored a huge tiebreaking goal in that third, in a rousing 4-2 win Friday over the Capitals in Washington. In their next game they were pretty much a no-show Monday at home, giving up six first-period goals in a 7-1 loss against the Dallas Stars.

“We played good against Washington and then next game we were back to form. It’s weird,” Malkin said. “It’s hard to say what’s going on in the first period (Monday) night. Again, we need to fight all 60 minutes. Everybody.

“I hope we find a good direction and we still find a way to build the team. We had a good meeting with everybody.”

As is often the case with Malkin when it is warranted, he did not hold back in terms of offering some criticism.

“We need to stop looking at each other. We need to play with each other,” he said. “It’s a simple game right now. Every team plays simple, straightforward. Play in the offensive zone, behind the net, play tough. Again, this year we play a couple times when we played great games. If we play the same game every night, it’s a good chance to win.”

He knows the fans are restless.

“We need to play better at home,” Malkin said. “(Monday) night, I want to say sorry to the fans. They (deserve) a better game. I hope we together find a good way and win (Wednesday) and start building the team better.”

The Penguins are 3-4-0 at home going into a game Wednesday at PPG Paints Arena against the Detroit Red Wings.

Evgeni Malkin, 38 and a future Hall of Famer, has five goals, 18 points in the Penguins’ 17 games. He finds it difficult to assess his game, the same as the team performance.

“When we play like this, lose 7-1, everybody had a bad game,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who scores one goal. It’s the same for everybody. One game we played good and my game, against Washington, I scored. I’m happy because I helped the team to win. But next game we lost 7-1. It’s a bad mood right now.

“It’s all about the team. The team wins, we feel better. Your game is better. Your confidence is better. We’re all connected together.”

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan spent a few minutes with the players gathered around him at the end of practice Tuesday. Malkin at first was reluctant to divulge what was said, but he did offer this:

“He said it’s a tough night for everybody, not just players. Coaches. Whole city probably. Today is a new day. Tomorrow is a new game. It’s time to play better at home for sure and show our best because we can play better for sure. Our group, I love it. It’s good guys here. We’re tight. We’re together.”

In fact, Malkin said the players remain upbeat about the future of the team.

“Of course,” he said. “You can’t win if you’re not optimistic. It’s a long season. How many games left? It’s 65? It’s still a long way. … Life is good. Everybody’s healthy. Why not? Just do it like we can.

“We had a good practice (Tuesday). We’ll see what’s going to happen (Wednesday). One win can change everything.”