Gary Roberts: Crosby's Motivator?

The secret of Crosby's success: Confidence, freak-of-nature physical ability, and Gary Roberts?

Kevin Mcgran of the Toronto Star looks at Sidney's turnaround:

We just we gained a lot of confidence," star Sidney Crosby said yesterday. "You win five, six in a row, you beat good teams, you gain confidence.

"For a while it seemed like we couldn't lose. We were just finding ways to win, whether it was getting huge saves or coming back and winning the shootout. We couldn't lose."

While others in the Eastern Conference, like the Leafs, treaded water by winning a few, then losing a few, the Penguins went on a tear. They went 14-0-2 from mid-January to mid-February. A team loaded with teenaged talent, and players in their young 20s, wasn't thinking about the future. They were thinking about this year.

Adding Roberts in a deal with Florida and getting Laraque from Phoenix in trade-deadline deals simply made sense.

At 6-foot-3, 243 pounds, Laraque gives Pittsburgh an intimidating presence.

"His presence has been felt since his first game," says Crosby. "He's a great guy in the room, he's a great guy to have around. On the ice, he creates space, he can play. For a big guy, he can make plays, he's got great hands, he can really protect the puck."

Roberts, as Leaf fans may be aware, is an influence on and off the ice. He has four goals and six assists since coming to the Penguins.

"His experience is something that we definitely welcome," says Crosby. "He just leads by example out there and anybody can't help but follow the way he plays, especially this time of year. He shows a lot of grit, he's definitely helped us a lot."

At 40, Roberts is able to remind the young guns of the Penguins that youth is fleeting but a commitment to fitness and healthy eating can prolong and enhance a career.

"Guys are working a little bit more," says Crosby. "He makes you feel bad, when you're 19, 20 and I think he's 40 and he's hitting the weights twice as hard as anybody else.

"He's a great role model. You couldn't get a better guy."

Penguins 4 - Bruins 2: Sidney's Little Helpers

(AP Photo/Chitose Suzuki)

Just another night at the office for Sidney Crosby and the Penguins as they racked up a fairly easy 4-2 win over the Boston Bruins.

Sidney had himself a nice night with 3 assists while going +3 in 21:48 of ice time.

From Yahoo!:

One game after clinching a playoff berth, the Pittsburgh Penguins reached another milestone.

Sidney Crosby had three assists in a 4-2 victory over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night, raising his NHL-leading point total to 116 and helping the Penguins reach 100 points and sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division.

"It's a nice little milestone to hit for us," Crosby said. "After the year we had last year, you don't want to stop there. But it's a nice accomplishment."

Crosby had 39 goals and 63 assists as a rookie last season, but the Penguins managed just 58 points as they missed the playoffs for the fourth time since their appearance in 2000-01. While he's improved a bit this season , his team has had a complete turnaround.

"We're happy with that," coach Michel Therrien said of being alone in first place, two points ahead of the idle New Jersey Devils. "As long as we concentrate on winning our games, we'll be fine."

Penguins 4 - Capitals 3: Into the Playoffs!

(AFP/Getty Images/Mitchell Layton)

While Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin haven't been lighting up many of the Caps/Pens games this year, the Penguins have been lighting up the Capitals like a Cuban cigar.

Last night saw both kids do some magic, but the Penguins prevailed, once again, by a 4-3 score.

The win gave the Penguins their first playoff spot since 2001, capping off a great season in which the youthful crew meshed with the cagey vets to provide one of the stronger clubs in the Eastern Conference.

Sidney earned 3rd Star honours with 1 goal, 1 assist, -1, and 6(!) shots on goal in 21:28 of ice time.

From Yahoo! Sports:

Even though the Pittsburgh Penguins are in the playoffs for the first time since 2001, there was no champagne in the winning locker room.

The Penguins' 4-3 win over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday guaranteed postseason action for the once-beleaguered franchise, with help from two second-period goals by Ryan Whitney. It was Whitney's second two-goal game of the season.

"It's a great accomplishment. We're proud of clinching the playoffs, but we want more," said Pittsburgh coach Michel Therrien.

"It's pretty exciting to get in the playoffs. That's been our goal all season," Whitney said. "Just to know we would be playing in April, that's one of our goals and we reached it tonight."

Whitney scored the second and fourth Penguins goals, but it was Sidney Crosby's second-period goal past a stickless Olaf Kolzig that was the most memorable.

Crosby, the NHL's leading scorer with 113 points, took the puck behind the net and tipped it past the sprawling Kolzig to give Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead at 6:21 of the second period. Moments before, the Penguins' Gary Roberts slammed into Washington's goalie causing Kolzig's stick to sputter out of his hand, and settle to the right side of the goal.

"You just start to get low to the ice. I didn't panic too much. I've played like that in practice," Kolzig said. "I thought I had a chance to freeze (the puck), but it just got away from me. I've got to be a little tougher in front in those circumstances."

In his second season, Crosby led his team to its fourth straight win this season over Alex Ovechkin's Capitals. Crosby, the No. 1 pick in 2005, who assisted on Whitney's first goal, scored two goals and assisted on three others against Washington this season. Ovechkin, the first pick in 2004, did not score a goal in four games against Pittsburgh this season, but had three assists.

Pittsburgh spotted the Capitals a 2-0 lead and then quickly called a timeout.

"We're not playing right. I don't think the focus was there," said Therrien.

"(Therrien) just said that we're not playing with enough desperation," Crosby said. "We weren't ready. He wanted to make sure we just got back to work."

Martin Brodeur: "Crosby's, for teh winz!"

It seems Martin Brodeur is a Sidney believer, picking The Kid to be MVP rather than himself.

From The Globe and Mail:

Just because Martin Brodeur has picked Sidney Crosby as the most valuable player in the NHL, he hasn't ruled himself out of the race for the prestigious Hart Trophy.

In his weekly column in Le Journal de Montreal, the New Jersey Devils star goaltender said Crosby was the best choice for the award. But he clarified that opinion yesterday during an NHL conference call.

"When I was doing my column, it was kind of hard to pick myself," Brodeur said. "I believe he's one of the most valuable players in the league. If I had to vote and you couldn't vote for yourself, that's the guy I would be voting for."

And if he did have a vote?

"You should never vote against yourself -- that's not a good sign," he replied with a laugh.

Well, Pavol Demitra is modest enough not to vote for himself, so why can't Martin do the same?

Photo of the Day: Sidney's Yellow-bellied Fans

Oh, what is it about sporting events that makes men want to take off their shirts and paint letters on their stomachs?


Peter Diana, Post-Gazette

Sidney's Busy Weekend

The Penguins made some hay this weekend with a pair of big wins as they propel themselves to a possible #2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Saturday: Penguins 2 - Thrashers 1

Jordan Staal's goal halfway through the 3rd period gave the Penguins a win in a closely fought contest.

Sidney finished with 0 points and EVEN with 1 shot on goal in 17:55 of ice time.

Sunday: Penguins 5 - Bruins 0

On a nationally televised (NBC) game, Sidney and the Pens came out firing on all cylinders as the Bruins looked like a team that has given up on the season.

Sidney has a much better game with 2 goals, 1 assist, +1, and 4 shots on goal in 16:30 of ice time.
Sidney really needed those points as Vincent Lecavalier and Joe Thornton have been on fire lately and are close to catching Sid for the scoring title.

As it stands now...

Crosby - 111
Thornton - 104
Lecavelier - 100

Inside the Mind of Sidney Crosby - New Gatorade Ad

Gatorade has come out with a flashy new ad featuring Sidney Crosby.

This ad features the inner workings of Sidney's mind as he goes in on a breakaway against the hapless Carolina Hurricanes netminder.




This ad has very good production values and it very well done.

Is it original? According to Robert Lefebvre, who was kind enough to upload the video, the spot is a good take-off on a Woody Allen flick.

The one minute ad is highly ingenious, considering the multi skilled Crosby, but it is hardly original.

The scene is a direct descendant from a Woody Allen vignette from his 1972 movie, "Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex (* But Were Afraid To Ask)." That scene, featuring actor Burt Reynolds, was also about scoring, in a different way!

The Allen clip involved the same crew to crew interaction, in conflict with the heart and mind in a moral equation. Instead of a goalie, the desired target is one attractive brunette.

Hmm, a Sidney ad featuring his mind as he hits on a bunny? That would kick ass.

Pittsburgh 1 - Islanders 3: DiPietro'd

Another tough game for Sidney Crosby and the Penguins as Rick DiPietro made 35 saves in a 3-1 Penguins loss to the New York Islanders.

Sidney finished with 0 points and EVEN in 21:43 of ice time. As he's been doing a lot lately, Sidney has been shooting lots (4 SOG), but struggling to score at the pace he was earlier in the season.

From Yahoo! Sports:

The New York Islanders are a totally different team with Rick DiPietro in goal.

DiPietro, who missed three games due to a head injury, turned aside 35 shots, and the Islanders snapped a four-game losing streak by beating the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 Thursday night.

"I believe we have confidence in our game with Ricky in there," Islanders coach Ted Nolan said. "He was one of the big reasons we won."

The man with the 15-year contract has 31 of New York's 35 wins with a 2.51 goals-against average and .919 save percentage. The Islanders returned home from an 0-3-1 trip, a stretch in which DiPietro missed mostly all but the final game.

Trent Hunter, Jason Blake and Viktor Kozlov scored for the Islanders after spotting the Penguins a 1-0 lead. The Islanders moved one point ahead of Toronto and into 10th place in the Eastern Conference playoff race. They trail Carolina and Montreal -- at the playoff cutoff -- by one point but have games in hand.

"Every point is a big point, and the whole team has to respond," Kozlov said. "If we can continue to play the same way every game, we'll have a good chance."

Colby Armstrong scored and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 29 saves for the Penguins, who after a defeat at the New York Rangers on Monday, have lost consecutive games in regulation for the first time since Jan. 9-10.

"It was good, hard hockey," Penguins forward Mark Recchi said. "We just want to keep trying to do the things we do best to win games."

The Islanders also snapped Pittsburgh's 16-game point streak with a 6-5 victory on Feb. 19. The Penguins remained two points behind New Jersey in the Atlantic Division race.

Penguins 19-year-old phenom Sidney Crosby was held scoreless for the second straight game, following a six-game point streak.

"He made some good saves," Crosby said of DiPietro, "but we also didn't put in a bunch of pucks with an open net or behind him."

Now, now, Sid. Just admit it, you didn't play well and the Isles simply shut you down.

Sidney Swears He's a Good Boy

Oh, man.

From the 'Much Ado About Nothing' Files comes Ottawa coach Bryan Murray, whining about the fact that Sidney Crosby said a few nasty words in his direction.

From the Ottawa Sun:

Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby admitted to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he swore at Senators coach Bryan Murray during Sunday's game at Mellon Arena, but he didn't mean any disrespect.

"I might have said, 'What (expletive) are you looking at?' Maybe, I don't remember the exact (wording)," said Crosby. "I'm sure I use the odd swear word when I'm on the ice ... But by no means was I targeting Bryan Murray to try to start something."

Crosby disputed Murray's claim that the Senators coach was yelling at referee Don Koharski, not Crosby. Crosby said he couldn't hear what Murray said, but he was screaming at the Penguins player "for sure."

The incident occurred after Murray accused Crosby of taking a dive in what resulted in an interference call on Mike Comrie.

"There's absolutely nothing for me to gain by yelling at another team's coach,'' Crosby said. ''You can ask other coaches. I don't yell at coaches unless I'm being yelled at by the coach.

''(Murray) doesn't mind talking on the bench, let's put it that way. It's not the first time (Murray has said something to Crosby). That's just the way it is. If he wants to say that I'm disrespectful to him -- if he feels he wants to do that -- that's fine, but if he wants to do that, so be it.

"I didn't speak to him until he started making gestures. But what I was saying was, 'Why are you looking at me?' There was absolutely no reason for him to be yelling at me."

Given how hockey players swear every 5-6 words on the ice, this is really a non-story.

It looks like Bryan Murray wanted to get some spotlight, or put Sidney in some negative light, so he made much ado about nothing.

I can't wait until the next Sens/Pens match. Maybe Sidney will come up with a real zinger next time.

Crosby vs. Ovechkin: The Fashion Files

Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin participated in a recent off-ice photoshoot to show off their typical casual styles.

Sidney Crosby:



Sidney's black shirt with dark blue jeans is a simple combination that can blend in nicely in most situations. It's modest, like Sidney, and doesn't stand out much. It's hard to score any negative points with a simple style like this, other than the fact it might remind you of Simon Cowell.

Alexander Ovechkin:


Ovechkin, on the other hand, can't decide if he's a geeky EMO loser or a rebel "Sk8r Boi". It's obvious that Ovechkin is an attention whore and is trying way too hard to look cool. All that's missing is the iPod. Pull up your frickin pants, son!

Winner: CROSBY - Without even trying, Crosby wins this contest hands down. While Sid may look a tad generic, Ovechkin comes across as a poorly dressed cliche in desperate need of some loving from his mother.

Cross-posted to Hockey Rants

Penguins 1 - Rangers 2: Losing a Squeaker

Sidney Crosby and the boys were obviously tired in the second of back-to-back games as they were outshot 42-22 in a 2-1 loss to the Rangers.

Thanks to the brilliant goaltending of Jocelyn Thibault, the Penguins looked like they could bring this game into OT.

Unfortunately, Jaromir Jagr banked in a lucky shot off of the stick of Rob Scuderi that just squeaked by Thibault with 33 seconds left in the game :(

Sidney was practically shut down and finished -2 with 0 points in 21:37 of ice time. Apart from a couple of spurts, his effort overall was disappointing and the Penguins failed to sustain any attack against a desperate Rangers club.

From Yahoo! Sports:

Jaromir Jagr looked for teammate Michael Nylander -- and luckily found defenseman Rob Scuderi.

Jagr snapped his longest scoring drought of the season Monday night when his pass for Nylander clipped off Scuderi's stick and slipped into the net with 33.8 seconds left in the New York Rangers' 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

"I am not 24 chasing any records anymore," said the 35-year-old Jagr, who went eight games without scoring for the second time this season. "My goal is to make the playoffs. Right now it doesn't matter as long as we win."

New York moved past idle Carolina into seventh place in the Eastern Conference, two nights after getting into playoff position. The Rangers, who nearly put up back-to-back shutouts for the first time since March 2003, trail sixth-place Tampa Bay by one point with nine games left.

Jagr swung around Alain Nasreddine and flipped the puck toward the net. The drive hit Scuderi and slipped underneath Jocelyn Thibault, who stopped 40 of New York's previous 41 shots. The puck disappeared, but it was revealed over the line when Thibault moved his legs.

"I thought it was in but I wasn't 100 percent sure," said Jagr, who reached 25 goals for the 16th straight season.

The goal was awarded after a video review that lasted a few minutes. Thibault hung his head in the crease and again on the bench after being pulled for an extra skater. He didn't face another shot, but Jagr's goal was enough to snap Pittsburgh's winning streak at five and improve the Rangers' run to 7-1-3.

"I was just trying to squeeze my pads," Thibault said. "I didn't know where it was. For a second I kind of had it. You couldn't see the puck until I split my pads. Knowing that, I would've moved my pads the other way."

The Penguins could've tied New Jersey atop the Atlantic Division with a win, but remained two points back. Thibault sparkled in place of No. 1 goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who backstopped a 4-3 shootout victory over Ottawa at home Sunday night.

Pittsburgh is 7-1-1 in its last nine and went 4-1 during a stretch of five games in seven days.

"If you look at the big picture, you have to be satisfied," coach Michel Therrien said. "What makes it tough is that we were about 30 seconds from picking up at least another point."

"We got a bad bounce, no doubt," Penguins forward Sidney Crosby said. "We've had our breaks against them throughout the year. This one went against us."

Penguins 4 - Senators 3: Motion Defeated!

First the Devils, and now the Senators. It's nice to know Sid and the boys can beat some good teams as they prepare for Sidney's first playoff run.

Sidney was the game's first start with 1 goal, 1 assist, -1, and 4 shots on goal in 19:26 of ice time.

The Penguins continue to get little efforts from the role players, as Jarkko Ruutu has turned himself into a go-to guy in shootouts.

From Yahoo!:

Jarkko Ruutu is the Pittsburgh Penguins' fourth-line winger, a player with 30 career goals in parts of seven seasons.

But now he has become a go-to guy in the shootout.

Ruutu's backhand move got the puck past goalie Ray Emery and Pittsburgh tied the Ottawa Senators for fourth place in the Eastern Conference playoff race with a 4-3 win Sunday night.

"He'll get another shot, that's for sure," said Penguins coach Michel Therrien of Ruutu, who is 3-for-6 in his career in the shootout. "I asked him before how he felt, and he said, 'I feel pretty good about it."'

Pittsburgh's victory gives each team 92 points, with Ottawa having one more victory and the Penguins holding a game in hand.

Sidney Crosby and Ryan Whitney had a goal and an assist for the Penguins, who have won five in a row, are 7-0-1 in their past eight and moved within two points of the New Jersey Devils for the Atlantic Division lead.

Daniel Alfredsson and Antoine Vermette also scored for the Senators, who are 4-0-4 in their past eight and 12-1-5 in their past 18.

Ruutu was used in the shootout for only the second time this season since replacing Evgeni Malkin in that role last week. Malkin is the team's leading goal scorer who has more goals in his rookie season, then Ruutu does in his career.

"I'm confident in (shootouts), and it's great when the coach trusts you," said Ruutu.

Five of the past eight Penguins games have been decided in a shootout -- including a 5-4 Pittsburgh win in Ottawa 12 days ago.

This game was decided by a move so slow and calculated by Ruutu that Therrien was compelled to say with a smile, "He took his time, let's put it that way."

"It was weird, man," said Emery. "He came down really slow, a guy like that who doesn't get many minutes coming down in the shootout, you know he's got something coming up. It was a funny move. I didn't know what to expect."

Hmm, so Jarkko Ruutu may have a use, after all??

BTW, Recchi with 0 goals in 13 games. Sidney better start dishing him the puck a bit more.

Penguins 6 - Canadiens 3: Mon Dieu!

Sidney has surely sunken the slump, and had another 2 goals (and +2) as the Penguins doubled up the sinking Canadiens by a 6-3 score. The Penguins, and Sidney, are finding their groove at the right time as the Habs slip and slide out of the playoffs.

Check out the video of Sidney's FIRST goal on the night. He cuts through the Habs defense like a hot knife through margarine. MMMM.

From NHL.com:

The Pittsburgh Penguins are having a lot of fun these days.

Sidney Crosby and Erik Christensen score two goals apiece, and the Penguins beat the Montreal Canadiens 6-3 Friday night. Pittsburgh is 6-0-1 in its last seven games and pulled within four points of Atlantic Division-leading New Jersey.

"We just come to the rink every day and try to have fun and get better," Christensen said. "We're not so much worried about the numbers. Sometimes it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play. We're focused on just coming to the rink every day and having fun and working hard and getting better."

Gary Roberts and Michel Ouellet also scored, and Evgeni Malkin and Mark Recchi had two assists apiece for the Penguins, who reached a deal for a new arena on Tuesday to assure their future in Pittsburgh.

"It's definitely a big team effort and all of us should be happy with the way things are going," said winger Colby Armstrong, who had an assist. "But we have to keep our nose to the grindstone and keep things going."

Chris Higgins, Sheldon Souray and Andrei Markov scored for Montreal, which remained in 11th place in the East. Michael Ryder had two assists.

Crosby's 30th goal, 4:28 into the game, was the latest of his highlight-reel scores this season. Crosby took the puck in the neutral zone, stickhandled his way through three Montreal players and flicked a wrist shot past goalie David Aebischer while falling to his left to elude a fourth.

"You just shake your head because you see that all the time from Sid," Christensen said. "It seems like he's performing miracles. I wouldn't be surprised if he walks on water one of these days. Amazing goal ... what else can I say? You can't say anything else, it was ridiculous to watch."

Well, Sidney does SKATE on (frozen) water, which is even more impressive.

Penguins 3 - Devils 0: Thibault Shuts the Door!

The good times keep rolling for the Penguins as Jocelyn Thibault had his first shutout in over 3 years(!) as the Penguins defeated the Devils 3-0.

Sidney seems to have shaken the slump as he racked up another assist and +1 in 19:06 of ice time.

From Yahoo!:

If the last two games are any indication, Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins could go a long way in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Backup goalie Jocelyn Thibault stopped 25 shots for his first shutout in more than three years and the Penguins completed a two-night sweep of the conference's top two teams with a 3-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night.

"It's awesome, the past two nights," Thibault said after giving starter Marc-Andre Fleury a break. "I thought we played great last night against Buffalo even though it was 5-4, and to come here to New Jersey and shut them out, it's tremendous. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but this is a good start."

The Penguins' third straight win pulled them to within four points of the first-place Devils (92) in the Atlantic Division. Both teams have 10 games left in the regular season.

"We are playing good hockey," Crosby said. "There have been times the past few weeks where we fought our way back or got a good bounce and got two points. That was hard work. We didn't play 60 minutes. That can burn you. Now we are playing 60 minutes and getting rewarded for it."

Jarkko Ruutu scored a fluky game-winner off a Devils' stick and set up an insurance tally by Erik Christensen as the Penguins won for the fifth time in six games (5-0-1). Jordan Staal also scored.

Penguins 5 - Sabres 4(SO): Victory In More Ways than One!

It was a great night for Pittsburgh hockey fans.

First, it was announced that a new deal was struck to keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh for the next 30 years.

Mario Lemieux strode onto the ice amid a standing ovation and thunderous applause and gave the Pittsburgh Penguins faithful exactly what they wanted.

No, it wasn't a Stanley Cup, although young stars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal might deliver that soon enough.

The Hall of Fame co-owner of the Penguins delivered the word that the oldest arena in the NHL will soon be replaced by a gleaming, multimillion dollar facility. And the franchise will be staying in Pittsburgh for the foreseeable future.

"Tonight, I'm proud to announce that your Pittsburgh Penguins will remain right here in Pittsburgh, where they belong," Lemieux said, standing in the spotlight under a scoreboard with his name, "Mario," in lights.

Just hours earlier, the Penguins and government officials said they had ended months of difficult negotiations and agreed on a $290 million plan to build a new arena.

Under the deal, the government agreed to waive upfront money from the team, while the Penguins will receive $10.5 million in compensation for delays. The sides also agreed to share responsibility for some cost overruns.

At a news conference, Lemieux said keeping the team in Pittsburgh was always his goal.

"Well, this is a great day for hockey," he said

Indeed, and then Sidney Crosby and the boys went out and beat the Sabres 5-4 in a fun-filled shootout.

El Cros was obviously pumped up for the game as he finished with 1 goal, 2 assists, and the shootout winner in a low 18:21 of ice time. It didn't help that Crosby was overly-enthusiasic and finished with 6 minutes in penalties.

Well, a win is a win, and the fans in Pittsburgh can breathe a hugh sigh of relief.

Gary Roberts = Sidney's Saviour?

This article is more about Gary Roberts than Sidney Crosby, but the author relates the trade for Roberts as a great thing for Sid, personally.

From FOX Sports:

While Sidney Crosby has been finding all the holes on the ice during the regular season, that can all change for the youngster in the blink of an eye in the postseason, when teams clamp down on the opposition and the scoring chances are few and far between.

This is where Gary Roberts is going to be worth his weight in gold and black to Crosby and the Penguins this April in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The gritty Roberts, who has scored 20 or more goals 12 times in his career, was brought over from the Florida Panthers to play on the No. 1 line with Crosby, hoping the aging superstar could open up some room for the 19-year old and his linemate, Mark Recchi.
"I can't believe I'm playing with those slugs," joked Roberts, who had 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists) with the Panthers this season. "It will be OK. I'm thrilled to be able to play with a kid like Crosby and obviously Recchi. I've known him for years and know the competitor that he is, so I'm really excited about the opportunity. Hopefully I can help them out a bit."

While secondary scoring is important in the playoffs, the biggest stars really have to do it for themselves. Forsberg, Sakic, Gretzky, and Lemieux (Mario and Claude) all performed exceeding well under the playoff pressure. Acquiring Roberts may help the Pens with some grit, but it's not exactly going to make Crosby all that much better.

Given Sidney's assertive style, my only worry is that he tries to do too much. Sidney has been trying to shoot himself out of his current slump, and has stopped using his teammates as much as he usually does.

Penguins 3 - Rangers 2(OT): 1 Goal = 100!

A goal! A goal!!!

At long last...Sidney Crosby gets a goal, point #100, and the Penguins get a crucial win.

Thanks to Sidney finally scoring an actual in-game goal, the Penguins beat the Gotham Ranger 3-2, and put Sidney over the century mark for the second time.

On the night, El Sid finished with 1 goal on 7(!) shots in 22:02 of ice time. One thing that's been noticable during this streak is how many shots on goal he's been getting per game. At least he's trying to shoot his way out of a slump.

Amazingly, Crosby wasn't even around when the Rangers scored, thanks to an 'equipment malfunction'

From Yahoo! Sports:

Sidney Crosby scored a milestone game-tying goal but was relegated to hearing the crowd roar for the game winner from the locker room.

Colby Armstrong scored 1:19 into overtime and the Pittsburgh Penguins came back from a two-goal, third-period deficit to beat the New York Rangers 3-2 on Saturday.
Crosby had tied the game at 2 for his 100th point of the season with 13:04 to play, becoming the youngest player in NHL history with two 100-point seasons. But equipment problems sent him to the locker room after regulation.

"It sucks," Crosby said of having to miss overtime. "I have a lot of trust in the guys, but I want to be out there, especially in overtime ... and I'm just sitting there. It's hard just watching."

Armstrong made it a pleasant watch, however, by scoring his third overtime goal this season, tying a team record. Evgeni Malkin added a goal and an assist for Pittsburgh, which has come-from-behind in each of its past five victories.

Karel Rachunek and Matt Cullen scored for the Rangers, who have earned at least a point in each of their past six games.

"We came back, and (the players) showed a lot of character again," said Penguins assistant coach Andre Savard, who was running the team because Michel Therrien was attending his father's funeral. "They battled hard in the third period and overtime, and we did get the win. Obviously, we don't make it easy."

The win came in part because Maxime Talbot made a good play to keep the puck in the zone and got the puck to Armstrong, who took a wrist shot from the right boards that deflected off Rangers defenseman Marek Malik's stick and squeezed between goalie Henrik Lundqvist and the near post.

"Mark tried to make the right play and cut off the pass," Lundqvist said. "It's just unfortunate that it goes in the net. But it was not there where we made the mistake. We have to clear the puck before that."

Crosby, who had just missed making it back onto the ice for the start of the extra period, downplayed the significance of his 100th point. He came into the game with only two points in his past six games and two goals in his past 19 but still has a comfortable lead in the league scoring race.

"It's never something I think about," Crosby said of 100 points. "It's nice, for sure, but there's a lot of games left -- important ones -- and that's where my mind has been."

Penguins 3 - Devils 4(SO): A point! A point!

One point for Crosby and one point for the Pens.

It's a start, I suppose...figures Sid gets a point and then gets stoned in the shootout :(

Sid's statline - 22:03 of ice time, 1 assist, EVEN, 4 shots on goal, and 12 for 19 on faceoffs.

From NHL.com:

During what could prove to be their final visit to Pittsburgh, the New Jersey Devils hurt the Pittsburgh Penguins' division title chances.

Patrik Elias had the deciding goal in the shootout as the Devils extended their Atlantic Division lead to eight points with a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.

"We always get up for these games; they're big games, four-point games," said New Jersey center Travis Zajac, who had a third-period goal. "If we want to stay ahead of them in the standings we've got to keep winning. We always find a way. It was a good team win."

Andy Greene had his first career goal, and Sergei Brylin and also scored for the Devils, who had lost three in a row but have reached 90 points.

Evgeni Malkin, Sergei Gonchar and Michel Ouellet scored for the Penguins, who had won three of four but fell two points behind Ottawa for the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race in losing to the Devils for the second time in 10 days.

"It's always better to get two points with the win, but New Jersey has a good team," Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said. "And the guys didn't quit, they kept playing until the end and we were able to get a good point."

The game took place while the Penguins' owners, state and local politicians and NHL officials were meeting across the state in Philadelphia in talks aimed at funding a new arena for Pittsburgh. If talks collapse, the team could end up relocating in Kansas City or another city after the season

Fans in the sellout crowd of 17,132 started a "Save Our Pens" chant less than a minute into the game, and there were a handful of banners hanging from the balcony seating ranging from being anti-Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell or anti-Kansas City to pro-Penguins and pro-Pittsburgh.

Those fans went home unhappy when the left-shooting Elias skated far to his right on Fleury as the final shooter in the shootout. He skated from Fleury's left to his right before flipping the puck past him.

"I just wait if (the five-hole) opens up," Elias said. "Or if he keeps sliding, I cut it back. I think it's pretty hard for the goalies if you have (those options)."

New Jersey's Martin Brodeur stopped Pittsburgh's Erik Christensen, Malkin and Sidney Crosby to earn his 40th win of the season. Brodeur has won 40 games for the sixth time and became the only goaltender to win 40 in consecutive seasons on multiple occasions.

"Every time you win 40 games or get to these certain plateaus, they're pretty special," Brodeur said. "There's not many guys that are able to say that."

More sad news: Pittsburgh coach Michel Therrien's father died Thursday. Michel will leave the team, for a short time, to attend the funeral.

Penguins 5 - Senators 4(SO): Deja Vu!

Oops, Sid did it again.

No points during regulation, but the shootout winner. Thanks to Sid's sudden shootout skill, the Pens won a tough battle over the Ottawa Senators 5-4.

Maybe we ought to stop talking about the slump. It doesn't seem to be helping :(

On the bright side, check out Jordan Staal with yet ANOTHER shorthanded goal. When is the last time a rookie has led the league in SH goals? Has it happened?


From NHL.com:

Sidney Crosby is making crucial contributions to the Pittsburgh Penguins' offense despite enduring one of the worst scoring slumps of his young career.

Crosby scored his third shootout goal in four games and Pittsburgh overcame a three-goal deficit for a 5-4 win against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.

Despite being held without a point for the fourth time in five games, Crosby scored on Pittsburgh's third shot against Ray Emery, who made a glove save off Evgeni Malkin after Eric Christensen beat him on the Penguins' first shootout attempt.

"I'm trying to (contribute) any way I can," Crosby said. "Obviously that's the easier way but you get a chance where basically, you score, you win, kind of thing. So I've had that opportunity a couple of times and I've tried to take advantage of it.

"Hopefully the time will come when I'll be able to do it 5-on-5 and in regulation, and obviously in the shootouts, when I need it."

Jocelyn Thibault stopped Dany Heatley and Antoine Vermette before Dean McAmmond scored on Ottawa's third attempt, forcing Crosby's decisive attempt.

"You just kind of wait to see what he does, try to be as patient as you can," Emery said. "I wasn't patient enough."

Crosby scored the winner in Thursday's 4-3 shootout win over the New York Rangers. He also scored in the shootout Sunday as Christensen got the winner in a 4-3 victory over Philadelphia.

"I know before Christmas he was having a hard time scoring in the shootout but we stuck with it and he practiced a lot," Penguins coach Michel Therrien said. "When the game's on the line those are the type of players you want to see performing and there's no doubt he's performing really well in the shootout."

Crosby, who leads the NHL with 98 points, was held without a point for the second straight game. The 19-year-old phenom has one assist - his 200th career point - in five games, matching the worst slump of his career.

"It's different when you're not getting chances or you're not able to create things, that's probably the most frustrating, but I think the chances have been there," said Crosby, who had eight shots in the game, including six in the first period. "It's just a matter of you're not getting breaks and getting some bad bounces. You go through those times and hope they'll last as short as possible."

Sidney: "I'm Slumping!"

First denile, and then admittance. Sidney is already on the second step to recovery, right?

From the Ottawa Sun:

There are two ways to look at the fact NHL leading scorer Sidney Crosby has only two goals in his last 17 games.

The Senators are catching him at a good time, because he's in a bit of a slump or ... The 19-year-old star of the Pittsburgh Penguins is about to bust loose, so look out.

Crosby has but one point in his last four games.

Is he in a slump?

"A bit," he admitted after the Penguins morning skate at Scotiabank Place, blaming a little bit of bad puck luck lately. "Hopefully my time will come soon."

A bit?? 2 goals in 17 games is more than a BIT of a slump, Sid.

"He's going to have work through this," said Penguins coach Michel Therrien, who is planning on using Crosby with rookie of the year candidate Evgeni Malkin tonight to try and give him both a boost.

"He's going to play against top players every night. Sidney Crosby doesn't surprise other people right now. The last month and a half they've checked him really well, but that's part of his development.

"He's only 19 years old. He's going to have to fight his way through those things. That's why we put him with Malkin, hopefully, it's going to help them be on the same page and fight through this together."

Yeah, hopefully Lurch can help Crosby get some points tonight. Lecavalier and St. Louis are closing in on the scoring title.

Is Sidney Shooting Back at Critics?

According to Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period, Sidney is fighting back at his critics through his on-ice exploits.

Let's scroll back to early October 2006. As the 2006-07 season was commencing, if you'd ask ten hockey people who they'd prefer on their team, Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin, nine would have told you the Russian winger.

Indeed, Ovechkin was the new poster boy for the NHL with his massive rookie season, easily outdistancing Crosby in a landslide vote for Rookie of the Year. His highlight reel goals, his appearance at the NHL Entry Draft in Vancouver and willingness to do every interview made Alex everyone's darling.

I'm calling a big BS here.
1 - 9 out of 10 hockey people would have instantly picked Crosby over Ovechkin. We know Crosby's upside is bigger and his game is more well-rounded.
2 - While Alex was quite the darling, Crosby was the one who got the most media attention, endorsements, and even a book about him.

If you had asked me then who I'd want to start a franchise, I would have said (Ovechkin), too.

Now, I'm not so sure.

Not so sure? Umm... judging by the first three paragraphs of this article, I'm questioning this guy's hockey sense in general.

For those of you hiding under a rock since the New Year, Sidney Crosby has led the Pittsburgh Penguins on a massive run over the last twenty games.

Once struggling to get into the final eight in the Eastern Conference, the Pens are within waddling distance of the New Jersey Devils for the lead in the Atlantic Division and sit in the fourth position overall in the East.

With all the impossible hype surrounding him last season, Crosby still fashioned a 100-point season (39G, 63A), but was an afterthought with Ovechkin's campaign. As the Penguins entered this season, the spotlight was on another Russian rookie, Evgeni Malkin, whose European vacation to get to the NHL was headline news in the summer.

And while Malkin has put up predictably strong numbers, he's not the reason that the Penguins have won 13 of their last 16 games.

Yes, Mark Recchi is ageless, Jordan Stall is tracking for 30+ goals and Marc Andre Fleury is maturing into an NHL goalie, but Crosby has put up numbers at the tender age of 19 in terms of the man he was originally compared to, Wayne Gretzky. Crosby has a 15 point lead over Vincent LeCavalier in the scoring race and barring injury, will come in over 130 points in his sophomore season, which would be the highest point total for any scoring leader since Mario Lemieux tallied 161 in 1996.

Ovechkin, still a virtuoso, remains in the top ten in scoring and is still the most dynamic player to watch for my money. But when you consider the Washington Capitals are sitting fourteen out of fifteen in the East, perhaps it's time to re-examine who the more valuable player is.

Hmm, why does the writer so easily dismiss the quality of teammates Crosby has? Yes, Fleury sucks, but Recchi, Malkin, Whitney, Gonchar, and Staal are a lot higher quality than what Ovechkin (Clark?) has around him.

No doubt Crosby is a great player, but it's not as if Crosby, by himself, would turn the Capitals into a contender if he switched places with Ovechkin. Crosby was awesome last year, but the Pens were nowhere near a playoff spot.

The Capitals' roster, especially the defense, has junior varsity written all over it, but they do have some depth along the forward wall (Alexander Semin, Dainius Zubrus, Chris Clark) and a veteran goaltender in Olaf Kolzig, so there's a bit of talent to carry on Ovechkin's broad shoulders. But because his mentality is to shoot first, ask questions later, he's less likely to make the players around him better

Depth? You call that depth? No, that's the makings of a poor first line. Depth means you have QUALITY and QUANTITY. The Caps have neither.

While Crosby's stats combined with the Pens' improvement make him an odds-on choice for the Hart Trophy at this point, my other two candidates for the honor are evidence that the game, with all the rule changes, hasn't really changed that much.

It's still about goaltending. New Jersey's Martin Brodeur has had an insane season; he's posted 11 shutouts during a year that is arguably his career best. It's not so much the doughnuts he's thrown up on the board; it's more the team he's doing it with. Talk about junior varsity, the Devils are next to last in goal scoring in the East, only ahead of the hapless Philadelphia Flyers (my, have times changed.)

Bernstein somehow completely ignores the fact that Brodeur has an insane SV% this year, and actually DESERVES MVP consideration, while he didn't in the past. It has nothing to do with the game changing or not.

Bah!! you can read the entire article right here. The good stuff comes near the bottom, where he discusses non-Crosby topics.

Penguins 4 - Flyers 3(SO): We need a Slumpbuster, STAT!

Weird...

Crosby can't get any points during regulation, but has suddenly become money in the shootout.

Did he sell his soul to the (New Jersey) Devil?

Well, at least the Penguins won a game, and, once again, made the Flyers their little bitches with a 4-3 shootout win.

Crosby's totals? 0 points, 6 shots and -2 in 21:17 of ice time...yuk

From NHL.com:

If the Pittsburgh Penguins make the playoffs for the first time in six years, no opponent will be more responsible than the Philadelphia Flyers.

Erik Christensen twice scored tying goals in regulation, then teamed with Sidney Crosby to win it in the shootout and the Penguins swept a season series from Philadelphia for the first time by winning 4-3 on Sunday.

Pittsburgh won all eight games against a once-dominating opponent. Coming into the season, the Flyers were 125-64 with 30 ties and one overtime loss in the last 40 years against their Pennsylvania rivals.

The Penguins nearly didn't win, falling behind 2-0 on goals by Mike York and Braydon Coburn in a sloppily played first period. But Gary Roberts, with the Penguins less than a week, scored once and set up their other two goals in regulation and Pittsburgh won for only the second time in five games after getting points in 16 consecutive games (14-0-2).

This is exactly why Pittsburgh traded with Florida to get the 40-year-old Roberts - his ability to lead and to help win big games down the stretch in playoff races.

"Right now in the Eastern Conference, you can be third one week and eighth the next, so you've got to make sure you don't let any game slip away," Roberts said.

Crosby decided a shootout for the second time in four days, following up Christensen's successful shot against goalie Martin Biron by stickhandling the puck down the slot before going to his backhand to end it.

Both Flyers shooters, Martin Ruzicka and Scottie Upshall, failed against goalie Marc-Andre Fleury after Christensen began the shootout by beating Biron. The Penguins are 7-5 in shootouts and the Flyers are 1-6, last winning on Oct. 26.

Some fans tossed hats onto the ice after Christensen scored in the shootout, even though shootout goals don't count in individual totals.

"I knew it wasn't a hat trick but I will take it," said Christensen, who leads Pittsburgh with a 6-of-10 conversion rate in shootouts.

Crosby is 3-of-11 in shootouts, but also decided the Penguins' 4-3 victory against the Rangers on Thursday by scoring the only goal of the shootout.

"If you keep Crosby off the score sheet, you have a better chance of winning," the Flyers' Simon Gagne said. "It means defensively you're doing something right. But when you get into shootouts you don't know what's going to happen, and we're not very good in shootouts right now."

Crosby, the NHL's scoring leader with 98 points, was held without a point after getting 30 points in his first 15 career games against the Flyers. Crosby has two goals in his last 17 games overall.

Penguins 2 - Hurricanes 3: Crosby Nabs Another Record

'Twas another loss for the suddenly struggling Pens, but Crosby set another record with his goal in the first period. With the goal Crosby becomes the youngest player to ever record 200 points in the NHL.

The goal was Crosby's only point on the night, as he finished with 4 shots and EVEN in 22:41 of ice time. Crosby's been getting lots of ice, but hasn't been piling up the points quickly as of late.

Game recap from Yahoo!:

Back-to-back losses earlier this week left the Carolina Hurricanes out of the playoff picture and in danger of becoming only the third Stanley Cup champion to miss the postseason in the following year.

Instead of working out the troubles in practice, coach Peter Laviolette decided to give his players a day off. The strategy worked perfectly.

"You lose two in a row, it's hard," right wing Scott Walker said. "If you come to the rink the next day, it's still there in the room. It was nice to get some time off."

Walker scored two goals, Cam Ward made 22 saves and Carolina got a much-needed victory by beating the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 on Friday night.

The loss spoiled a record-setting night for Pittsburgh second-year center Sidney Crosby, who became the youngest NHL player to reach 200 career points with a goal in the first period. The 19-year-old already was the youngest player to start the All-Star game since fan balloting began in 1986.

He had an unconventional wraparound, where he sent the puck to the far side of the net.

"I never thought that would happen," Crosby said. "It's a nice accomplishment."

Frantisek Kaberle also scored for the Hurricanes, who snapped a two-game losing streak to move in front of the Montreal Canadiens for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Canadiens played later against Buffalo.

Ryan Malone tied the game at 2 in the second period with his 13th goal of the season, but the Penguins lost for the fourth time in six games. The Penguins still hold fifth place in the East.

The teams combined to go 0-for-13 on the power play in a game with playoff intensity. The Hurricanes improved to 17-13-4 at home. Last season they were 31-8-2.

"I don't think we've played very well at home in front of our fans, but whether it's home or road, the biggest thing are the points right now," Laviolette said.

"Every night, there are games going on, and we have to keep pace."

Crosby leads the league with 98 points, well on his way to his second consecutive season with at least 100. Wayne Gretzky is the only other teenager to reach 200 points, reaching the mark shortly before his 20th birthday.

Crosby won't be 20 until August.

"He's a heck of a player," said Ward, who played against Crosby in the junior leagues. "It was smart on his part to throw it to that side."

Penguins 4 - Rangers 3 (SO): Sid's the Shootout Star!

Go figure...Sidney can't score a goal in a real game these days, but suddenly's he found the touch in the shootout.

Sidney went pointless with 4 shots on goal in 22:30 of ice time. Poor Sid continues to be snakebit, but is still holding onto the NHL's scoring lead as we enter the final stretch.

Recap from Yahoo! Sports:

The New York Rangers' potent power play is suddenly producing goals for and against the desperate team.

Pittsburgh erased a two-goal deficit with back-to-back short-handed goals by NHL leader Jordan Staal and Colby Armstrong, and forced overtime with defenseman Sergei Gonchar's goal with six minutes left in regulation.

That set the stage for Sidney Crosby to give the Penguins a 4-3 shootout victory over the Rangers on Thursday night.

"We got some big plays, especially in the penalty kills," Crosby said of the Penguins, who killed three of four power plays and netted two goals of their own.

Crosby won it with just his second shootout goal in 10 tries. The 19-year-old phenom was the last of six shooters and he squeezed a drive between Henrik Lundqvist's pads.

Lundqvist was sharp for the first two periods, making 18 saves after a shutout in his last outing. But he was touched for three goals on 13 shots in the final frame of regulation in his 19th consecutive start.

Marc-Andre Fleury made 32 saves in his second straight strong outing following a benching. He then turned aside Michael Nylander, Jaromir Jagr and Petr Prucha in the shootout. Nylander and Jagr had both scored in regulation for the Rangers, 2-3-2 in their past seven, as they try to stay in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Jagr nearly scored in the shootout, but fell to 0-for-4 this season when Fleury stopped him with his pads. The Rangers captain was roundly criticized for declining to take part in the tiebreaker against New Jersey on Feb. 22 when New York lost.

With injuries to Brendan Shanahan and Martin Straka, Jagr needed to be in the Rangers' first three shooters

"I would do anything for this team to win," Jagr said. "I didn't feel very comfortable doing that ... I knew other guys were better than me. Now I had no choice to go. I wanted to go. I knew I was going to go."

Blair Betts scored his first power-play goal since Oct. 14, 2003, to give the Rangers a 3-2 lead, but Lundqvist -- who made 30 saves -- couldn't protect it.

He made a key error when he left the crease to block a dump-in by Pittsburgh. Armstrong got to the loose puck and banked it off Lundqvist.

"Mine was just lucky," Armstrong said.