Feb 1, 2007 3 min read

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin can’t take all the credit for the Pittsburgh Penguins’ current seven-game unbeaten streak. The Penguins have been getting production from other players, and that’s a big reason they’ve gone 6-0-1 in their last seven games.

During the team’s four-game winning streak, the offense has been sharp, scoring 21 goals and earning a shootout win. In that span, Crosby scored two goals, and Malkin none.

“We all know what Sidney Crosby’s line and Malkin’s line can do offensively,” coach Michel Therrien said Wednesday. “But in the meantime there’s a (Maxime) Talbot line and there’s a Dominic Moore line, and those guys are chipping in right now. … It’s because of contributions from everyone.”

Crosby, who leads the league in scoring, has been an offensive force with his playmaking abilities. He has eight assists in the last four games. Linemates Mark Recchi and Ryan Malone have combined for eight goals, but rookie scoring leader Malkin has been held without a point in his past three games.

Not long ago, the thought of the Penguins going on a winning streak with scant goal production from Crosby and Malkin would have been almost unthinkable. The two combined for 49 of the team’s first 144 goals – more than a third of the Penguins’ offense.

But in the last two games, even the fourth line of Moore, Jarkku Ruutu and Ronald Petrovicky has scored three goals and combined for five assists.

“We know we can make plays,” Moore said. “That’s one of the strengths of our team. Lines one through four, we do have that depth. Not only will we help chip in with goals in those close games, it will also help keep everyone fresh toward the end of the year.”

Therrien has juggled line combinations since taking over as coach 13 months ago.

He has paired Malkin and Crosby in a high-powered line around the holidays, but the team has seemed to embrace the matching of Malkin with rookie Jordan Staal and Michel Ouellet and the tandem of Talbot, Erik Christensen and Colby Armstrong on a third line.

“There was a time I was not satisfied with the combinations of the lines, so we changed them and (over) the last three weeks we stabilized our lines, and I think we’ve got contributions from everyone, and that’s a good thing,” Therrien said.

The improved play has moved the Penguins into a tie for the seventh playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

“Our consistency right now is the biggest thing,” Crosby said. “Everyone feels comfortable, everyone knows their role and is playing their role. We’ve got four lines rolling, and everyone’s playing real well. It allows everyone to play with more energy, and everyone can contribute.”