Penguins’ Malkin nears scoring title

PITTSBURGH (AP) — There was palpable disappointment in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ front office five years ago when they lost the draft lottery and missed out on Alex Ovechkin, one of the NHL’s most promising prospects in a quarter-century.

The Penguins were coming off a third consecutive terrible season, their attendance was the league’s worst and a prospect-thin farm system offered little hope for the immediate future. Privately, the Penguins spent months counting upon landing Ovechkin, only to lose him to the Capitals because of the tumble of a ping pong ball.

Amid the post-lottery doom and gloom, one Penguins official said, perhaps more optimistically than realistically, “At least we get Evgeni Malkin.”

Turns out Malkin might be one of the best consolation prizes of all time.

As the NHL regular season concludes this weekend, the 22-year-old Malkin has a strong chance to become only the second Russian player to win the Art Ross Trophy that goes to the NHL scoring champion — yet the second to do so in as many seasons, succeeding Ovechkin.

With one game remaining for each, Malkin has a 112-108 points edge over Ovechkin, who has played in three fewer games because he missed two to visit his ailing grandfather in Russia and another with a heel injury. Those absences may prevent Ovechkin from becoming the first repeat champion since former Penguins star Jaromir Jagr won four in a row ending in 2000-01.

Even if Ovechkin enjoys a big game tonight against Florida, Malkin is confident he can generate enough points in Montreal to win the title.

“I’ll score, too, so I win,” Malkin said with a smile.

Not that it’s any surprise that Pittsburgh might win yet another scoring title — even if it’s Malkin and not captain Sidney Crosby, the 2006-07 scoring leader.

If Malkin closes it out, the Penguins would become the first team to have two NHL scoring champions playing for them simultaneously before either has reached his 23rd birthday, as Crosby is only 21. Crosby, drafted the year after Malkin, is third with 103 points in 76 games despite missing five games to injuries.

Malkin would be a record 13th Art Ross winner for the Penguins and their fourth in 12 years, joining Mario Lemieux, Jagr and Crosby.

Interim coach Dan Bylsma has been in Pittsburgh less than two months, yet it’s obvious to him how much Malkin’s teammates want him to win.

“It didn’t start the last few games,” Bylsma said. “We want our players to have success. We want Evgeni to have success. You keep that in mind when guys are getting close to their third goal [in a game] and are looking for a hat trick.” Those are things you keep in mind — how we want to play. We find success for everyone.”