Nearing the end of an inconsistent regular season, the Penguins hope to win a third straight Stanley Cup championship. Malkin, who leads Pittsburgh with 42 goals and 96 points, wouldn't bet against it.

"We understand we have a great team," the center said Tuesday. "We understand it's not just the team. It's coaches. It's the organization. Everyone here. It's coming to practice, coming to this building. We're all together. Everyone works to win. The last two years gave us so much confidence. We understand we're a great team.

"It's time to win and time to [make] history. It's, like, amazing. It's a great chance to win."

The last team to win three straight Stanley Cup titles was the New York Islanders, who won four in a row from 1980-83.

Video: PHI@PIT: Malkin fakes slap shot, buries wrister

The Penguins clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a 12th straight season, the longest active streak in the NHL, with a 5-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday before losing 3-1 to the Washington Capitals the following night. The Capitals have clinched first place in the division and the Penguins are in second place, two points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers entering play Tuesday.

Malkin was visibly frustrated near the end of the loss to the Capitals, getting into an altercation with Capitals forwards T.J. Oshie and Evgeny Kuzentsov. But his confidence wasn't shaken.

"I will always believe in my team. I will always believe in this group," Malkin said. "I see these guys every day and we're still hungry."

Pittsburgh will look to solidify home-ice advantage in the Eastern Conference First Round when it plays Columbus at Nationwide Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET: FS-O, ATTSN-PT, NHL.TV) in a game that could be for second place in the division.

"We need to win," Malkin said. "Start [the playoffs] at home, and it doesn't matter against who. Doesn't matter what game. We need to win."

If it sounds as if Malkin believes the Penguins are in dire straits, it shouldn't. He's kept Pittsburgh's struggles in perspective, even though the Penguins have gone 6-4-2 since March 10.

"I think we're fine. It's not perfect every season," Malkin said. "Every time, we work hard. It's the third season [coming off two championships]. It's a long season. Last two years, we played so many games. We still fight. We're not winning a lot this year, but we still win.

Video: PIT@MTL: Malkin blasts home one-timer for PPG

"We understand that it doesn't matter what place [we are] in the playoffs. It's a new game. We're happy we're in the playoffs."

Malkin has missed the postseason once in his 12 seasons with the Penguins; he tore his ACL and MCL on Feb. 4, 2011. The Penguins were eliminated in the first round by the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games.

So it's easy to see why playing in the postseason makes Malkin happy. It's all he's ever known.

"If we weren't in the playoffs, I'd be so mad," the 31-year-old said. "I wouldn't understand if it was like three more days [in the season] and you're done."

Just being in isn't enough. Malkin wants more.

"It's different if you lost in the first round or you lost in the Final," Malkin said. "First round is so quick. It's, 'OK, two more weeks and you're done.' We're not happy with [that]."