Tampa Bay Lightning: Evgeni Malkin Guarantees A Game 6 Win For Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin has guaranteed the Pittsburgh Penguins will emerge victoriously in Game 6 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Tampa Bay Lightning made great strides towards getting the series back on track as they were able to overcome the Pittsburgh Penguins early in overtime in Game 5 of the 2016 Eastern Conference Final at the Consol Energy Center in the Steel City. Now, the Tampa Bay Lightning are just one game away from punching their card to the next round and playing for the Stanley Cup.
As you can imagine, the Pittsburgh Penguins are going to have something to say about this. As they series heads back to the Amalie Arena right here in the heart of the Bolts Nation, the Pittsburgh Penguins are going to do whatever it takes to ensure they live to fight another day and these two teams head back to Pittsburgh for a Game 7 encounter.
So, how sure are the Penguins they are going to walk away with a victory in Game 6 in Tampa Bay? Well, there is at least one Pittsburgh Penguin who has guaranteed a Penguins victory. That’s right…guarantee. Who is making this presumptuous guarantee? None other than Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin.
According to Dan Rosen, Senior Writer for NHL.com had a chance to speak to Evgeni Malkin and bore witness to Malkin’s proclamation, which was nothing short of laughable to Tampa Bay Lightning fans.
"“I believe in my team. I believe in myself. We’re coming back to Pittsburgh (for Game 7) for sure.”"
The Pittsburgh Penguins have taken the Tampa Bay Lightning to the limit for a good part of this series. So, why would Malkin’s comment be so laughable? Well, let’s take a look back to last season when the Washinton Capitals were taking on the New York Rangers in the second round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin “guaranteed” that his team would emerge victorious over the New York Rangers and would move on to play either the Montreal Canadiens or the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Tampa Bay Lightning would emerge victorious in their series and move on to play for the Eastern Conference Championship. The Washington Capitals, on the other hand, were headed to the golf course after a 2-1 overtime loss to the New York Rangers.
If there is anything we have learned in the decades we have been watching the great sport of hockey, it is that there is almost nothing in hockey that is truly guaranteed. The entire course of a game can change in a matter of seconds and the team who looked like they were destined for greatness would be headed down the dark road leading to defeat.
Funny enough, Malkin’s guarantee may come back around to bite the Penguins in the behind. There is a pretty good chance the Tampa Bay Lightning will take Malkin’s overconfident comment as a means of fueling their competitive spirit and their will to overcome all obstacles that come their way. Fortunately, fans on both sides of this argument won’t have to wait very long to see how everything plays out.
Next: Jason Garrison: Team Must Play A Full 60 From Now On
The Tampa Bay Lightning will come charging back into the Amalie Arena on Tuesday night. The puck is scheduled to drop at 8:00 p.m. here in Tampa Bay. If you don’t have the privilege of being one of the 19,000+ fans who will be at the Amalie Arena on Tuesday, you can catch the live broadcast of the game on the NBC Sports Network. You can also listen to Dave Mishkin make the call on 970WFLA Tampa Bay.