Only 50 players have ever managed to reach 1,200 points in the NHL, and veteran Evgeni Malkin is rapidly closing in on that milestone as he continues to be a stalwart amongst the Pittsburgh roster.

The Penguins head into tonight’s clash with Colorado Avalanche having won just twice in their last five games, but Evgeni Malkin may have his attention focused somewhat on joining a group only a select few can say they belong to.

Just three other active players have managed to rack up 1,200 points in their careers, including fellow Penguins captain Sidney Crosby.

But 36-year-old centre Malkin is on the cusp of joining him, needing just four more points to become the 51st member of the twelve-hundred club.

Crosby remains the Penguins’ most important asset, but Malkin’s quiet consistency since joining up with the team way back in 2006 can not be ignored.

Though he is far from his MVP-winning best of 2012 where he clocked up 109 points, Malkin still ranks second for the Penguins this season with 50 (24 goals and 36 assists).

Particularly in the post-festive period, he has shown glimpses of years gone by, registering a total of 15 points since early January in the space of 10 games.

No player this generation has a better combination of power and control than Evgeni Malkin pic.twitter.com/Y328iaOZvz

— Guru (@Guruelous) February 6, 2023

“I think it just shows a lot of consistency. It’s a big number,” Crosby said of his teammate.

“To get to it, you’ve got to put up points every year and be consistent. It reflects that. He’s had a couple long-term injuries on top of that, so it could easily be more.  

“I think it just shows the player that he’s been over the years. He’s still producing at a high rate, even at his age. I think it reflects all of that.” 

The three-time Stanley Cup recipient has not just had a huge effect on the Penguins’s success in recent history, but his compatriot Nikita Kucherov also compared his impact on Russian hockey to the great Alexander Ovechknin, saying he is up there with the league’s second all-time goal scorer.

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