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Niskanen on Malkin: ‘You could tell he was just about to bust out’

Pittsburgh Penguins v Florida Panthers

SUNRISE, FL - NOVEMBER 30: Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates up ice against the Florida Panthers at the BB&T Center on November 30, 2013 in Sunrise, Florida. The Penguins defeated the Panthers 5-1. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Evgeni Malkin

Joel Auerbach

Evgeni Malkin’s monstrous play in the month of November may have caught some by surprise, but not his teammates.

As Josh Yohe of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes, some of his Penguins cohorts knew a big breakout was on the way.

“You could tell he was just about to bust out earlier in the season,” defenseman Matt Niskanen said. “He’s just working so hard. It was a matter of time. He just has that ability to take over.”

Take over is exactly what Malkin did against the Florida Panthers on Saturday night as he had a goal and three assists in their 5-1 win.

In the month of November, he had four goals and 21 assists in 15 games. Almost two points per game for the month? Yeah, that’s a breakout all right. After netting just 10 points in October, he’s now just one point behind teammate Sidney Crosby in the points race.

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