It has certainly not been Sidney Crosby's year so far. On a Penguins team that has struggled mightily on offense through almost the first two months of the season, Crosby's scoring woes have been even more pronounced. New acquisition Phil Kessel has not alleviated the pressure off Pittsburgh's captain, in fact it's probably worsened the problem trying to create chemistry between the two forwards that might be dynamic on their own, but just might not work together.
NHL scores 2015: Sidney Crosby comes alive for Penguins in 2-goal performance
The captain’s first multi-goal game of the season helped lift Pittsburgh over St. Louis at home.
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Through talks of the Penguins' depleted farm system and a closing window on Crosby's prime, it's surprising the city of Pittsburgh hasn't gone completely sick with anxiety already. However, like Evgeni Malkin last week, Crosby was poised for a breakout game after his name had appeared in the news just hours before puck drop in Pittsburgh. With reports swirling that Crosby and team owner Mario Lemieux are in the middle of a huge falling out, according to Yahoo Sports, the captain found a gear he had not reached so far this season and put in a two-goal performance in the Penguins 4-3 overtime win over the St. Louis Blues.
Last year, Crosby busted out his first multi-goal game in the Penguins first contest of the season, a 6-4 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. There's been no explanation as to why Crosby has had such a hard time finding the back of the net this season, but a performance like Wednesday's might just be able to give the captain the confidence he needs to get back on track. Crosby was key in the Penguins 4-3 victory, scoring Pittsburgh's opening two tallies that tied the game 1-1 late in the first and eventually gave the team a 2-1 lead on the power play.
Next on the tee: Sidney Crosby https://t.co/qknB0tPpeQ
— NHL (@NHL) November 26, 2015 Crosby took advantage of the St. Louis turnover in open ice to tie the game 1-1 with minutes to spare in the first period. No matter what the circumstance, if you leave Sidney Crosby alone in front of the net, he will make you pay. Crosby then came back in the second period and halfway through the frame, tipped home a Malkin shot on the power play with perfect stick placement. The captain’s nine shots led the team by a mile in the game and though he only scored the Penguins first two tallies, he was clearly felt all over the ice.
The Penguins are far from a perfect team. There are too many questions on their offensive depth and defensive talent, but the struggles they have had this season are quite a surprise to many who believed them to contend at the top of their division. A scoring Sidney Crosby is not only good for the Penguins, but it’s good for the league. An NHL that lacks the dominance of Crosby is like missing an integral piece of the league itself. The sooner Crosby returns to form, the better off everyone will be.
Crosby now has his first three-game points streak this season. #Penguins
— Shelly Anderson (@_ShellyAnderson) November 26, 2015 Scores
Pittsburgh Penguins 4, St. Louis Blues 3 (OT)
Boston Bruins 3, Detroit Red Wings 2 (OT)
Tampa Bay Lightning 2, Los Angeles Kings 1 (SO)
Arizona Coyotes 4, Anaheim Ducks 2
3 things we learned
1. Predators break three game goal-less streak
It had to happen sometime for Nashville, and it couldn't have come at a better time. The Predators finally broke free of their three game scoreless rut in a 3-2 victory over the Sabres. Mike Fisher was the goal scorer that broke the streak, which was just two periods from becoming the longest scoreless streak the NHL has seen since 30 years ago. Once Fisher got his, the floodgates opened for Nashville, who scored their final two goals six minutes apart in the second period. Buffalo fought back to within one goal, but Cody Hodgson's final marker was the ultimate game-winner for the Predators.
2. Carey Price is injured, again
Carey Price injury #Habs #MTLvsNYR pic.twitter.com/0LNsObDsem
— Ryan Biech (@ryanbiech) November 26, 2015 The play above is the likely cause of Carey Price reaggravating his lower-body injury from a month ago. The awkward leg movement Price does to come back for a potential save looks to be the cause for concern here. Head coach Michel Therrien has already announced that Price will not play in New Jersey on Friday, and the goaltender will be reassessed in the coming days. It's a blow to the Canadiens, who beat the Rangers and secured the top spot in the league once more, and they will have to go with backup netminder Mike Condon for the time being.
3. Sergei Bobrovsky's improvement under Tortorella is as clear as night and day
Bobrovsky save percentage, October: .865 Bobrovsky save percentage, November: .939 Good work Tortorella.
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) November 26, 2015 Good for Bobrovsky, who's admittance of having "no confidence" earlier in the year must be far in the rearview mirror for him now.
Impact Moment
On another night that wasn't the best if you were a goaltender, Carter Hutton somehow stayed in the game for Nashville after taking a hit that flipped him over completely. Even more incredible than the flip is the way he landed, with his neck at such an awkward and uncomfortable angle that something must have been wrong, yet Hutton was able to keep playing despite the strange landing.
Carter Hutton FLIPPED by Marcus Foligno. He’s staying in the game like a champ too. #NSHvsBUF pic.twitter.com/bHn1YwkY7l
— Thomas Willis (@TomAWillis) November 26, 2015 Stat of the Night
thisisfine.jpg pic.twitter.com/csjfYqLXgZ
— Aaron (@atf13atf) November 26, 2015 Gotta stay out of that box, LA.
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