The two-headed monster is alive and well.

But it’s been a while.

Former Penguin winger and current TV color analyst Bob Errey coined the term a few years ago in describing the exploits of superstar forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

As a tandem, this Penguin duo seemed capable of amazing accomplishments on the ice. They still are.

Problem is, assorted injuries have prevented these two guys from sharing much ice in recent years.

Until now.

Crosby’s concussion issues appear to be behind him. So are Malkin’s knee problems.

The last time both of these guys played the majority of a full NHL season healthy together was in 2008-09. Malkin scored 113 points that year, Crosby tallied 103.

That seems so long ago. Yet Malkin is only 27 years old while Crosby is 26.

And they’re at it again.

Through 29 games, Crosby had 15 goals, 23 assists and a league-leading 38 points. Malkin had seven goals, 30 assists and 37 points.

They stand one-two in the NHL scoring race, both on pace to tally well over 100 points. Should they stay healthy, they are threatening to run away from the rest of the NHL’s top scorers.

Crosby and Malkin have a bit of a cushion already. Chicago’s Patrick Kane, Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf and the Islanders’ John Tavares are next in line with 32 points each.

Malkin’s 30 assists lead the NHL. San Jose’s Joe Thornton is second with 25. Only seven other players in the entire league have as many as 20 assists thus far.

With Crosby and Malkin on different lines, opponents have to choose which one to deploy their checking line against. When the Penguins have a power play, the two-headed monster is on the ice — and succeeding.

The Penguins’ power play is the deadliest in the league.

Having two players of this caliber on the same NHL team is a rarity, especially in the salary cap era. Pittsburgh has chosen to keep both here for the long term and consistently build a Stanley Cup contender around them.

That system has worked in Chicago, where the Blackhawks keep star players Kane and Jonathan Toews together and construct the rest of the roster around the two.

Chicago has already won two Stanley Cups with that duo.

Crosby and Malkin are still chasing that second dance with Lord Stanley.

Boston’s Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr, the Islanders’ Bryan Trottier and Mike Bossy, Edmonton’s Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier — all won multiple Cups together in their day.

Ultimately, that’s how the Crosby-Malkin tandem will be judged.

Now this two-headed monster is out to cement its legacy.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle