Malthouse's team will compete for the Peter Mac Cup on Sunday when it takes on old foe Carlton at the MCG, a team that beat Collingwood twice last season.
The Magpies have injury concerns to key players and copped an 88-point drubbing at the hands of St Kilda on Monday night.
But despite the hammering, which has left the Magpies' season precariously poised with a 3-4 record, the veteran coach said there was no need for panic.
"Twelve months ago we won by 86 points against a side that went onto play in a grand final (Geelong)," Malthouse said on Wednesday morning.
"Football's like that. Sides are hot, they get their momentum up and it's sometimes very hard to stop them … every week's a new week.
"Young players are very resilient; they'll get over it."
Collingwood fans will be eagerly awaiting news from the selection table this week, with queries over several of their stars.
Travis Cloke has already been ruled out with a hamstring while Alan Didak is expected to miss another week with the same injury.
Paul Medhurst (ankle) and Leon Davis (abdominal strain) were late withdrawals against the Saints and will come into calculations for this week, while Josh Fraser (knee) is nursing a posterior cruciate ligament injury.
However Malthouse said he wasn't up to speed with the fitness of his men.
"I haven't really spoken to the medical staff yet, so I'm not too sure," he said when quizzed on the likelihood of them playing against Carlton.
Collingwood is likely to have ample back-ups to draw on should they need to call for reinforcements.
The club's depth was praised early in the season, and several players have been performing well at reserve grade level.
Malthouse said one of the idiosyncrasies of selection was that different players put their hands up for a senior berth at different stages of the year.
"You have 40-odd players … we've used 31, 32 [and] I think most clubs are round about that mark," he said.
"You find some that can play, find some that need a bit more advancement back in the VFL; we're no different.
"We'll continually scout through our list to find the best combinations and if you have a good strike rate then you have a new side."
Chris Dawes, who booted five goals in the VFL last week, and ruckman Chris Bryan (four goals) are both considered chances to return to the senior line-up after impressing at the lower level.
Malthouse said the Magpies would discuss whether Fraser needed support in the ruck later this week.
