Football is over and baseball is still around the corner, making it the best time of year for hardcore hockey fans.

The NHL season is a little more than two-thirds complete and the Pittsburgh Penguins have battled their way into playoff position, even without superstar Sidney Crosby.

A recent 11-2-1 surge has placed Pittsburgh in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race — currently fifth — and the final 26 games of the season should grab the attention of Penguin fans.

The Pens possess the upside to earn the No. 1 seed in the conference, but are still vulnerable enough to miss the postseason completely.

The former is more likely than the latter for a variety of reasons, but mostly because of health.

Evgeni Malkin has been playing out of his mind lately — 15 goals and nine assists in the past 14 games — and it’s not just a matter of good timing.

Malkin underwent knee surgery on Feb. 10, 2011 to repair a torn ACL and MCL. Six months of rehab put him back on the ice, but now a year removed from the operation, he’s back to being Malkin — a fully repaired goal-producing machine.

He currently owns the NHL scoring lead with 69 points — 32 goals and 37 assists — and I expect him to keep up the pace.

Malkin isn’t the only one getting back to speed, though, which makes the Penguins dangerous.

Defenseman Kris Letang returned from a concussion Jan. 19 and his presence has been a huge part of the Pens’ recent success. Pittsburgh is 20-8-5 when Letang laces up the skates and just 12-9 without him this season.

Letang not only provides a boost on defense, but also gives the team a legitimate scoring threat.

Malkin has been a beast and James Neal — 29 goals and 26 assists — is enjoying a breakout campaign, but the Penguins lack secondary scoring. Pittsburgh has only four players with 30 or more points, while the reigning Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins and conference-leading New York Rangers both have eight.

The Penguins can count on Malkin and Neal. However, guys like Chris Kunitz, Pascal Dupuis and Steve Sullivan must step up if Pittsburgh is going deep in the playoffs.

Jordan Staal, who returned from injury Saturday, should ease the scoring burden. I hear that Crosby dude is pretty good when healthy, too.

Crosby — or any other playmaker — isn’t the most important piece to the Penguins’ Stanley Cup hopes, though.

In the end, Pittsburgh’s destiny will rest on the shoulders of goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.

Through all of the injuries, Fleury has played admirably, posting a 29-13-3 record with a .911 save percentage and 2.35 goals against average, while backup goalie Brent Johnson is just 3-6-2 with an .887 save percentage and 3.00 GAA.

Those numbers indicate Pittsburgh doesn’t have an insurance policy between the pipes.

Crosby is the face of the franchise and it’s improbable the Penguins will hoist the Stanley Cup without him.

Without Fleury, it’s impossible.

Jason Orfao is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.