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Q: What type of character does Evgeni Malkin have? Do you believe he may get tired of playing second fiddle to Sidney Crosby, or is he truly a team guy? I think that he is better than Crosby, without the publicity. Will he be gone after his contract is up?

David, Sheppton, Pa.

MOLINARI: Malkin isn't quite as enigmatic as he was when he arrived from Russia in 2006, but it's unlikely that many people outside of the organization and his circle of friends and advisors will claim to have a handle on what he truly thinks or wants.

But if actions do, in fact, speak louder than words, a good case can be made that Malkin is content with the niche he fills for the Penguins, at least for now. While he apparently can be a wildly entertaining interview subject when speaking in his native Russian, he tends to be guarded around reporters -- especially the ones accompanied by cameras -- because of an understandable fear of saying something controversial, simply because he's not able to express himself with complete clarity in his second language.

On many teams, Malkin wouldn't have much choice but to speak out on nearly every subject of consequence that comes along, because he would be the most prominent player on the club. With the Penguins, Crosby shoulders those responsibilities, dutifully submitting to interviews after virtually every practice, game-day skate and game, regardless of how much he might prefer to be elsewhere.

Malkin is under contract through the 2013-14 season, and so much can happen and change between now and then that any prediction about what he will do when he qualifies for unrestricted free agency -- assuming he still does at that point, since a new labor agreement will be in effect by then -- would be nothing more than a toss-it-at-the-dartboard guess.

There's no question that he has an ego, just like every other elite athlete, and it seems logical, at least on some levels, that he would like being recognized as the undisputed go-to guy for his team. However, it's also entirely possible that he enjoys being part of one of the finest collection of centers in recent NHL history enough that it would outweigh any interest he might have in being the unquestioned centerpiece of a franchise.

Q: Is it just me, or are there more than usual number of hat tricks being scored this year?

Pierre Backman, Sweden

MOLINARI: There has, in fact, been a slight increase in the frequency of hat tricks in the NHL, compared to 2008-09.

Going into last night's game, there had been 25 scored in 428 games, an average of one every 17.1 games. Last season, there were 65 in 1,230, an average of one every 18.9.

Of course, there's no guarantee that the current pace will be maintained over the entire season. Then again, there also is no guarantee that it won't increase even more before spring arrives.

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