With the San Jose Sharks gaining last change as the Stanley Cup Final shifted to Northern California over the weekend, Pete DeBoer in essence dared Evgeni Malkin to be the difference-maker.
With Marc-Edouard Vlasic shadowing Sidney Crosby and Brent Burns' unit drawing the "HBK line" in Game 3, Malkin - one of the game's most dangerous attacking weapons - primarily received the favorable matchup of third-pairing defenders Brenden Dillon and Roman Polak.
DeBoer's hunch paid off. Malkin was largely ineffective, failing to generate meaningful attacking pressure with Chris Kunitz and Bryan Rust, and was eventually bumped up to the top line as Pittsburgh was forced to shorten its bench.
So on Sunday, and in response, it was DeBoer's counterpart who issued a challenge of his own.
"He's been a big part of our playoff success, but I know there's another level that he has to help us win," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said, via the team's official Twitter page.
Malkin has yet to record a point in the Stanley Cup Final, registering eight shots on goal, but his lack of production is not unlike most stars being featured in the NHL's terminating series. Crosby, Joe Thornton, Kris Letang, Brent Burns, and Logan Couture haven't scored, while Joe Pavelski - like Malkin - is still looking for his first point.
