Uncle G is out of town, so take my crumbs and be happy.

After serving his suspension, Evgeni Malkin returned to the lineup—on his best behavior. Meaning he took a penalty early in the game… and then scored a vintage Geno goal. He kept ‘swinging his stick’ a little more after that and even chased the goalie from the net. In the first period, no less.

When Geno comes back, he usually has something to prove. And Lord knows how much we’ve all missed that signature drop-pass. Am I right? The whole Penguins team seemed to take on his Russian-bear persona, battling hard against the Avalanche. When Geno plays with that edge, the rest of the lineup tends to follow.

Now they have to carry that motivation—and that lung capacity—back home to face the Hurricanes. Carolina plays fast, aggressive hockey and thrives on puck pressure, so the Penguins will need to be sharp from the opening face-off.

We’re on Crosby watch. Like the eighth wonder of the world, Sidney descending from the press box to end lives. His list is long… and growing.

Crosby is tired of reading our blog and is itching to play.