Sidney Crosby is on a serious roll
Olympic, world, Stanley Cup champ now leads NHL in goals
The Kid was at it again over the weekend, delivering a Saturday night special.
Down by a goal with time running out against the New Jersey Devils, it appeared Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins were headed for their second straight defeat after dropping a 6-2 decision to the Minnesota Wild on the road on Friday.
It also appeared Crosby would be held without a goal for the first time in back-to-back games this season. It also appeared Penguins goalie Matt Murray's seven-game unbeaten streak at PPG Paints Arena would end.
But after Devils forward Mike Cammalleri twice missed chances for his hat trick with Murray on the bench for an extra attacker, a scramble in front of New Jersey goalie Keith Kinkaid ensued.
Crosby patiently waited on the outside of the scrum, fished the puck from between the skates of Devils defenceman Andy Green and then roofed a shot with 14 ticks left. Tie game.
Crosby almost set up an overtime winner with a brilliant backhand flip pass to Penguins defenceman Kris Letang, but Letang's deke was denied by Kinkaid. Pittsburgh went on to earn a 4-3 shootout win to improve Murray's home record to 7-0-1, dating back to last season.
Magic touch
The game-tying goal gave Crosby a remarkable 15 in 16 games after missing the first six outings with a concussion.
"He's picked up where he left off in the World Cup," says Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford. "I think the World Cup was an advantage because he already was at a high level coming into the season.
"He was hurt, but in some way maybe he needed a break because he hasn't missed a beat."
Crosby hasn't missed many beats in his career. Sure, there was the slow start last fall, but let's consider the magic touch the Penguins captain has enjoyed in the past 34 months.
There was an Olympic gold medal in Sochi in February 2014, followed by the Art Ross Trophy, Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award to finish the 2013-14 NHL season.
A year later, after the Penguins went out in the first round of the playoffs, Crosby joined Canada for the IIHF World Championship and won gold.
Last spring, Crosby led the Penguins to their second Stanley Cup during his time in Pittsburgh, and four months later he played a major role in Canada's win at the World Cup of Hockey in Toronto and was named tournament MVP.
"What I saw with Sidney at the World Cup was what I've always seen with him," says Rutherford, who watched all the games back home on television. "I saw a focused individual who wants to win. Nothing surprises me anymore with him."
Shooting the lights out
Crosby has always been known for his playmaking, but his goal scoring is now front and centre. In 16 games this season, he has an NHL-high 15 goals and only five assists.
Crosby is firing the puck on net a bit more this season — prior to this season he averaged 3.3 shots on goal per game; this season he's at 3.7 — but his shooting percentage has gone through the roof. A career 14.7 per cent shooter, Crosby has scored on a remarkable 25.4 per cent of his shots this season.
That may not be sustainable, but Crosby has looked very good in the higher-percentage area close to the net, showing more determination in deflecting shots and knocking in shots around the crease, like he did with his game-tying goal on Saturday.
Could it be he's simply driven to push the Penguins to back-to-back titles, something that hasn't happened in the NHL since the Detroit Red Wings celebrated championships in 1996-97 and 1997-98?
"Sid doesn't need any extra motivation," Rutherford says. "He's had such a great career and he always prepares to play and win.
"He works on everything, every day. He works on the little things, but I don't think he's doing anything different. He's just focused like he always has been.
"To be here and see what he has done first0hand has been special."
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