PITTSBURGH - Nobody combines size, speed, strength and skill quite like Evgeni Malkin.
Zack Smith was reminded of this in Game 6.
During one second period on a night he led all Senators forwards in ice time, Smith found himself in a heavy battle along the end boards with Malkin. Everyone thought he had the Penguins centre under wraps.
“So did I,” said Smith. “For a second. Then I made a mistake. I stuck to the outside and he spun on me.”
Malkin wound up face-to-face with goalie Craig Anderson, who stopped the initial shot, but couldn’t keep the big Russian from taking the rebound around him and tucking the puck in the net.