Malkin fine with Crosby-Ovechkin hype: I like to be quiet, just not on ice

In what's being heavily billed as another chapter in the Alex Ovechkin-Sidney Crosby rivalry, Evgeni Malkin is more than happy to let his game do the talking.

The somewhat forgotten superstar led all players with 11 points in the opening round, but isn't averse to stepping out of the off-ice spotlight in lieu of No. 8 and No. 87. When the puck drops on a second-round series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals, however, it's a different story.

"I like to be quiet," Malkin said Wednesday, per Wes Crosby of NHL.com. "I just try not to be quiet on the ice.

"It's good for me. I try to be quiet. I just try to play. I read a lot about Sid and Ovi, you know? They started the same year. They played for the Calder Trophy. They're always the best two players in the (NHL), but I try to show my best game."

His best game, of course, ranks right up there with any player of this era, the Top 100 NHL players of all-time snub nothwithstanding.

Malkin has won two Stanley Cups, the Conn Smythe, Hart, Art Ross, and Calder trophies, and ranks second only to Crosby in terms of points per game among active players over the course of his career.

If the Penguins are to once again do away with the Capitals in the postseason, it'll be due in no small part to Malkin's quiet greatness.