Even if he is the man in the middle of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ second line, center Tommy Novak is the odd man out.

At least when it comes to discussions with his Russian wingers, Egor Chinakhov and Evgeni Malkin.

“When they talk, I don’t understand what they’re saying,” quipped the Wisconsin-raised Novak. “But it seems like a good dynamic. If I could speak the language, I would know better.”

Novak has been their center for the past three games but Chinakhov and Malkin have been on the same line for six games total ever since Malkin rejoined the lineup after recovering from a left shoulder injury.

While the results haven’t been overly prolific, they have been promising, at least to the naked eye as the two even-strength goals they have generated together have been cosmetically appealing.

During a 2-1 home loss to the Calgary Flames on Jan. 10, Chinakhov initiated a give-and-go sequence with Malkin that resulted in Chinakhov’s second goal as a member of the Penguins.

The duo connected again in a 6-3 home win against the rival Philadelphia Flyers. Off a stretch pass by Novak, Malkin gained the offensive zone on the right wing, then slipped a clever pass through the slot for Chinakhov, who buried a wrister.

“(Malkin), just a great pass to me,” Chinakhov said of his goal against the Flyers. “Just found me on the open ice. I just need to hit the net.”

In his fifth NHL season, Chinakhov has found the net throughout his NHL career, but not on a consistent enough basis. That’s part of the reason the Columbus Blue Jackets traded him to the Penguins on Dec. 29.

(The largest reason was that Chinakhov had requested a trade over the previous offseason, citing “misunderstandings” with former coach Dean Evason.)

Penguins management saw plenty of remaining potential in Chinakhov, who was drafted No. 21 overall by the Blue Jackets in 2020.

“We believe (Egor) has the potential to become a winger who can play anywhere across the top of the lineup,” Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas wrote in an e-mail with local outlets Dec. 29. “We must create the right environment, and he needs to put in the work with our staff that will allow him to be at his best very consistently.”

Those things appear to have been manifested early in his tenure with the club, particularly with Malkin on his line.

“Anytime you’re changing lines or trying new linemates … you look at combinations that you think could work just based on the player, based on the way they play the game,” coach Dan Muse said Saturday. “Then I think you also sometimes need to give it a little bit of time to see if that’s the case. They’ve played well together. They’ve found each other a number of times there in some really good situations, whether it’s odd-man rushes, time-and-space situations.

“We’ve liked what we’ve seen. The hope is things continue to just build with more time together.”

Chinakhov, 24, is a bit star-struck by simply being able to skate with the 39-year-old, an icon of a sport that is very much part of their home country’s identity.

“He means a lot,” Chinakhov said. “Every kid is watching him play. He’s a legend in Russia.”

Chinakhov is no slouch himself, especially when it comes to shooting the puck.

When the puck leaves his stick, it looks different than how other players shoot it.

“It’s definitely hard,” Novak said. “It comes off with a lot of pace. He can get it off quick. I’d say one of the quicker shots.”

That skill has been on full display in the shootout.

Despite having been a member of the Penguins for less than three weeks, he already leads the Penguins in shootout goals with two, admittedly because the rest of the team has struggled in that domain.

But he has buried both of his shootout attempts as a Penguins employee in spectacular fashion.

During a 2-1 home shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Chinakhov torched a wrister for the Penguins’ lone shootout goal. Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy, arguably the NHL’s greatest goaltender over the past decade, reacted as if he was stunned by a cattle prod on the sequence.

Then, during a 4-3 home loss to the Blue Jackets on Saturday, Chinakhov scored the Penguins’ lone shootout goal by scorching goaltender Elvis Merzlikins’ blocker.

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In explaining how he goes about being so dangerous in the shootout, Chinakhov is remarkably modest, if not overly critical of other shortcomings.

“I just try to use what (works) best,” Chinakhov said. “I don’t really trust my stickhandling. If I’ve got the time and see how the goalie is thinking, I just try to shoot.”

The left-hander is even bashful when asked about his ability to shoot in any situation.

“It’s not really good because I don’t have that many goals,” Chinakhov said. “So, I still need to work on it.”

To be certain, Chinakhov isn’t incorrect in that assessment. He has never scored more than 16 goals in an NHL season (2023-24). And so far, he has only posted six goals this season in 38 games between the Penguins and Blue Jackets.

But the Penguins appear to have found a way to maximize his skills thus far in his still brief tenure with the club, particularly through teaming him with Malkin.

“I like everything (with the Penguins),” Chinakhov said. “I play here and I feel the trust from the coaching staff and feel the trust from (teammates).”