Sid's line hasn't been great 5 on 5 because he's not himself yet. He looked slow, tentative and weak along the boards in game two, but he looked much better yesterday, and will look even better tomorrow.
Geno annoys me because he has to be treated like a primadonna flake even though he necessarily isn't one.
He's talented enough to transcend linemates and matchups, but for whatever reason there are always caveats with him.
In other words, if a shaved ape on his left wing makes him a better player even though it makes zero sense, you have to dress a shaved ape and stick him on the left side.
Read the Colligan article about uniting Crosby and Iginla:
http://thehockeywriters.com/jarome-iginla-sidney-crosby-linemates/.
Here's the part about why Malkin doesn't mesh with Iginla:
'As Rossi alluded to, it takes a special player to mesh with Malkin.
I’m not convinced Jarome Iginla is that player.
We discussed Malkin’s quirks in this article on Brenden Morrow a few weeks ago.
He’s unpredictable — like a mad scientist on the ice. He improvises. And he expects his linemates to read his mind.
Iginla is a more straightforward player. He wins battles in the corner and behind the net. He uses his big shot to score off the rush. The perfect complement to Sidney Crosby.'
People focus so much with 'mood' in the Jagr comparison that what they really miss is that the 'mad scientist' comparison is what makes more sense. How in the heck could Jagr make **** like Hrdina and Miller look incredible but never quite mesh with more 'talented' guys? How could Malkin make Talbot look like a vital cog in a cup run and Malone, who at best was up and down with Sid, into a mega dollar player that TB paid unreal dollars to get?
Because just as Hrdina and Miller could read Jagr's mind, guys like Malone and Talbot could read Geno's mind.
Sid and Malkin are different. Sid is north-south on a team full of north-south guys. For anyone who can sort of keep up with him, he'll make them look good. And, if they're talented enough and they work together enough, then they can dominate, in the regular season at least, as we've seen with Sid with Kunitz and Dupuis.
Every game for Malkin is more like a rorschach test . . . he needs a Malone and a Sykora or a Talbot and a Fedotenko, he needs both of them to get him, and he doesn't need them to be elite. But, the combination of roles is absolutely critical. One without the other, and you get how Malkin and Neal looked together with the revolving door of wingers the first half of the season.
That Dan Bylsma never has figured out the difference is why the Pens never will be the team they could be until either Bylsma or Malkin is gone.
Yes, he figured it out in 2009 . . . the desperation of a 2-0 series deficit to the Caps and the superfluous work of Feds and Sykora (not unlike it has been and will be with Iginla and Neal) forced that. Last year, Kunitz only got there after Sid went out again and there was question if he'd even return last year.
Aside from that, finding the right combination of wingers for Malkin is something that has fallen below Bylsma's thoughts as to what a great third line would be in terms of importance.
It is what it is . . . maybe we'll get lucky again when Neal returns.
EDIT: Here's the Colligan article on the Morrow acquisition and why he might work with Malkin:
http://thehockeywriters.com/penguins-acquire-brenden-morrow/
'What always caught my attention during Morrow’s time in Dallas was his ability to excel alongside talented, creative players.
Morrow had amazing chemistry with center Mike Ribeiro for a number of years before Ribeiro was traded to Washington last summer. At just under 180 pounds, Ribeiro is what you might call an ‘east-west player’ — someone who creates space for himself by weaving and cutting back and forth across the ice. East-west players can actually be some of the toughest to play with because you can’t predict where they’ll be from one second to the next.
Morrow might be the ideal left winger for Evgeni Malkin (HermanVonPetri/Flickr)
Morrow might be the ideal left winger for a spontaneous player like Malkin (HermanVonPetri/Flickr)
Sidney Crosby, a talented north-south type player, is methodical in his dominance. He tells his linemates to go to certain places on the ice and then he picks apart a defense like a surgeon.
Evgeni Malkin, on the other hand, is more in the mold of Ribeiro. His offensive brilliance is spontaneous and often has a flair for the dramatic. Malkin doesn’t want the puck where he is right now. He expects you to read his mind and know where he’s going to be. When you can’t, you’ll get the cold shoulder for the next three shifts.
There’s a reason dozens of wingers have come and gone from his line over the years. It takes a special type of player to not only survive, but excel alongside a Ribeiro or Malkin.'
