Crosby, Penguins surging as defending champs have won 8 of 10

Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins are surging, winning 8 of 10 but Crosby still sees room for improvement from a injury riddled squad that is off to a 20-9 start.

Great teams always look to improve in certain areas and there is still over 50 games remaining in the regular season.

The coaching staff and the front office will continue to look for ways to put the Penguins in the best position to defend their title.

Malkin's return from injury has impacted Crosby greatly

Sidney Crosby's surge offensively has sparked the Penguins 8-2 run as the Penguins have rebounded from a 5 game losing streak in mid-November.

Crosby has 11 points in his last three games, including 19 points in his last 10 games.

A player who deserves a ton of credit for Crosby's recent surge is Evgeni Malkin. During a 6 game stretch from OCT 31 - NOV 12 when Malkin was sidelined with a shoulder injury, the Penguins were 1-5 and Crosby had 1 point during that stretch.

Malkin returned to the lineup November 14th against Boston playing on a line with Crosby. Crosby broke out offensively with a 3 point night against Boston which has started a streak of 9 out of 10 games for Crosby in which he has recorded at least a point.