Q: Does Evgeni Malkin have what it takes to carry over his strong play with Sidney Crosby out into the playoffs?
— J.N. from Calgary, Alberta
A: Without a doubt, J.N., Malkin is among the most skilled athletes in the game. With or without the sublimely talented Crosby.

As the middle of February approached, Malkin collected seven points over a pair of weekend games, bumping up his total to 15 points over his last five games. That’s the kind of output we used to see from the likes of only Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux — albeit, in a very small timeframe from the 21-year-old Malkin.

In the spirit of full disclosure here, I voted Colorado’s Paul Stastny ahead of Malkin in last season’s rookie-of-the-year voting. And I did that after seeing Malkin’s amazing skills last year with Pittsburgh, and the year before with in the 2006 Olympic Games in Toronto. I simply felt that Stastny, given the talents of both squads, had a better year with Colorado than Malkin had with the Pens.

In some ways, the high-ankle sprain that Crosby suffered in January might have been beneficial for Malkin’s development. Who can argue with his success since Sid the Kid went on the disabled list?

Q: Isn’t Sharks goalie Evegeni Nabokov bound to break down during the playoffs? Why continue to play him every game?
— Chris from Palo Alto, Calif.
A: I have to say, Chris, I don’t understand coach Ron Wilson’s strategy, beyond the obvious — he feels that Nabby is his best chance to win every night, and so he goes with him every night.

Now, let’s not forget that Nabokov is 32 years old, which is not young, but it is prime time for big-time NHL goalies. If he is ever going to go the full nine innings, night after night, it’s now.  But overall, I don’t think it’s a good idea. NHL teams play roughly a 26-week season, and I think it’s a good idea to give a backup at least a game a week.  

On a coaching/GM basis, if I felt I didn’t have a backup adequate of playing 20-26 games a season, then it is the first “fix” I would make.

Does this amount of work guarantee that Nabby will break down come April, May or June?  Of course not. But logic tells me that it does not better his odds — and much of this game is about hedging bets.

Q: Which teams have the easiest and hardest schedules down the stretch?
— Mike McFarland from Roxbury, Conn.
A: Mike, I took your question straight to the puckologists at MIT, which happens to be loaded with puckologists even though the local NHL entry across the Charles River, the Boston Bruins, hasn’t won a Cup since 1972.

They forwarded the following email: “Too busy fixing the U.S. economy ... but give our regards to John Ziegler.”

Ah.

So, my take, in this age of parity, it’s not so much about he schedule. Two weeks prior to the trade deadline, it was impossible to say that any club was in “selling” mode.  That’s how tight things have been in 2007-‘08.  

The much bigger issue is, who will stay healthy?

I’m taking that one right to the Harvard Medical School ... back to you soon.

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