Sidney Crosby, who led the NHL with 120 points last season at age 19, is the star in Pittsburgh. The Penguin known in some circles as The Next One is on course for his third straight 100-point campaign after being the first overall pick in the 2005 draft.

Crosby can’t help but overshadow teammate and 2004 second overall pick Evgeni Malkin, but it’s the 21-year-old Russian who has netted a team-leading 12 goals during Pittsburgh’s current 10-1-1 surge. Of course, Crosby assisted on eight of them, including two of his three goals Monday night in a 4-1 victory over the Rangers.

The hat trick was the second in 11 days for Malkin, who has 23 goals and 52 points through 45 games in just his second NHL season. He is the third player to net a pair of hat tricks in 2007-08, though the 11-day span suddenly looks far less impressive.

Players with Two Hat Tricks, 2007-08

Player. . . . . . . . . . . Date. . . . . . .Outcome. . . . . . . . . Date. . . . . . .Outcome
Ilya Kovalchuk, Atl. .11/1/07. . . . . 4-6 Ott (L). . . . . . . . 11/3/07. . . . . 6-4 TB (W)
Joffrey Lupul, Phi. .12/11/07. . . . .8-2 Pit (W). . . . . . . . 12/15/07. . . . 5-6 Car (SOL)
Evgeni Malkin, Pit. . .1/3/08. . . . . 6-2 Tor (W). . . . . . . . 1/14/08. . . . .4-1 NYR (W)

Joffrey Lupul of the Flyers recorded two tricks in five days last month, and Atlanta’s Ilya Kovalchuk topped that in November. The Thrashers wing, who leads the NHL with 37 goals, scored three in back-to-back games with a single day off in the middle.

On Nov. 1, Kovalchuk tallied three third-period goals, but they weren’t enough to erase a 5-0 deficit in Ottawa. Two nights later, the Thrashers trailed Tampa Bay 4-1, but Kovalchuk scored three of Atlanta’s five unanswered goals for a 6-4 victory.