Penguins need Talbot
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Penguins forward Maxime Talbot has scored one goal this season.
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Max Talbot, a winger for the Penguins when he isn't hawking cars in some of the coolest local television commercials ever made, knows the numbers next to his name are pretty weak. "But I don't play for stats," he insisted the other day. Then, after a rather uncomfortable pause and with a sad sort of smile, he added, "I know that's easy for a guy who has scored just one goal to say."
The harsh truth:
A superstar in those automobile commercials, Talbot has been anything but one on the ice this season.
One goal and five points in 27 games.
One measly goal!
It's hard to see it happening to one of the Penguins' more popular and likable players. It was especially hard to see Talbot as a healthy -- relatively speaking -- scratch for a couple of games against Philadelphia in December and another against Atlanta early this month. We're talking about a guy who was absolutely huge in the Stanley Cup season last season.
I'm going to do something right here that Talbot never will do. I'm going to blame his frustrating season on his bad left shoulder. He missed the first 21 games after surgery in July to repair multiple tears in his labrum. Talbot isn't into making excuses, but, clearly, he hasn't been right since he came back. Who knows? Maybe his injury will turn out to be like an elbow problem for a pitcher or a knee problem for a running back. Maybe he won't be really right until next season.
Not that I'm ready to write this one off for Talbot.
Not knowing his amazing history of elevating his game to extraordinary levels in the playoffs.
Surely, you remember his two goals in the Penguins' 2-1 win against Detroit in Game 7 of the Cup final in June?
"I know that's still out there and I'm looking forward to it," Talbot said of the NHL postseason. "But why wait for that to play good? There are a lot of games before then. It's nice to be known as a playoff guy, but you want to be known as a season and a playoff guy."
That's why Talbot is so eager to get back in the Penguins' lineup, perhaps for the home game Thursday night against Ottawa. He sat out his third consecutive game Monday -- a 4-2 win against the New York Rangers -- because of a groin injury. That's unfortunate. Talbot said he thought his play finally was starting to come around just about the time New York Islanders goaltender Dwayne Roloson took a whack at him with his stick in a game a week ago, causing the groin strain.
First Published January 26, 2010 12:00 am
