DET vs PIT

You see it happen a lot – two star players on the same team that don't always seem comfortable playing with each other.

Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter have always seemed uneasy around each other, and Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal weren't exactly buddy-buddy.

There doesn't seem to be any disharmony between Pittsburgh Penguins stars Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby. But some wonder if it's a case of too few pucks on the ice whenever the two are on together. And, whether Crosby's luminescent presence on and off the ice makes Malkin shrink some in his demeanor and overall ability.

The numbers back up the skeptics, at least at the moment. The young Russian forward was unbelievable for the Penguins in Crosby's lengthy absences in the regular season, mostly from ankle problems. But mediocre is the word that best describes his play of late, with one goal, two points and a minus-2 in the last five games.

If he didn't know it before, Malkin was made aware today of his importance to the team, from coach Michel Therrien.

Therrien said he had a one-on-one talk with Malkin, with much of the conversation centering on leadership.

"Just reminding him this morning that I want him t be a leader again," Therrien said. "And we need him. He's a big part of our success. And I want him to be a leader. With a player like this, I believe you've got to be positive with him. He feeds from positive."

A different approach needed

It's often been said of today's Russian players; You need to handle them a little differently than North Americans. While the old-line Russians could take whatever a coach would give them, from coming up in the rigid, old authoritarian Soviet system, today's younger Russians need a softer hand, many team executives have said.

Red Wings G.M. Ken Holland said he had to learn to deal with young Russian star Pavel Datsyuk. Not that Datsyuk needed special treatment or babying, but relations were a bit more tense a couple years ago between him and the team, when Datsyuk was threatening to return to Russia and play.

Malkin seemed to revel in being The Man for the Penguins when Crosby was out, and his play was such that it made him a Hart Trophy finalist.

But he was invisible in Game 1 against the Wings, and not the presence Crosby was in the Eastern finals.

After practice at Joe Louis Arena today, Malkin promised a better performance Monday night. Therrien certainly is counting on it.

"We still have a lot of confidence in him. He's a world-class player," Therrien said. "He needs to stay focused. He needs to stay on top of his game. He needs to skate. He needs to battle. And if he's doing those things, good things can happen to him. But we do have a lot of confidence in him. He's going to bring his game where it's supposed to be."

Therrien makes changes

Therrien switched up his lines some at practice, swapping Pascal Dupuis and Ryan Malone on the top two lines. He also said he'll bring 42-year-old Gary Roberts back into the lineup for Game 2, in place of Georges Laracque.

Dupuis should bring more grit to the second line, but he has been an important offensive performer for the Penguins in the postseason, with two goals and seven points.

Crosby played a fine Game 1, getting chances and driving hard to the net. More aggression, especially on the forecheck, is something he believes is necessary to come out of Detroit even in the series. He isn't worried about the line changes and what it might do to the chemistry of his team.

"We've done it a lot all season, so I don't think it's a huge deal. I think nobody's role changes when they changes lines. I think everyone is expected to do the same thing. It's just different looks and sometimes it depends on who coach wants to play certain lines against and how they match up. So that's just basically a decision to make sure everything's evened out," Crosby said.

For the Red Wings, Johan Franzen practiced hard today, but he's still questionable to play Game 2. A high level Wings source, in fact, said Franzen wouldn't play Monday. But funny things happen in the playoffs, and any injury report must always be taken with a grain of salt the size of a basketball.