A look at what sets Crosby above the rest & 200 goals by the numbers
What Sets Crosby Apart Extending his points streak to 12 games and tallying his 6th regular season hat trick to take over the NHL points lead with 40, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby continues to amaze his teammates in his 6th NHL season. “I’ve seen him for three years and I’m still like… ‘Oh, my gosh. It’s pretty unbelievable, ” Penguins defenseman Alex Goligoski said in his post-game comments. Collecting 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points in his last 12 games, there’s a strong argument that Crosby is playing his best all around hockey of his career. Calgary Flames head coach Brent Sutter said it best when describing Crosby’s game this afternoon, following Calgary’s 4-1 loss to Pittsburgh. “An
Pittsburgh 4 – Calgary 1: Crosby nets hat trick in milestone game
Pens extend winning streak to six games Sidney Crosby scored three times and Brent Johnson made 30 saves, leading the Penguins to a 4-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday afternoon at the Consol Energy Center. Pittsburgh extended their winning streak to 6 games and have a 15-8-2 record at the 25 game mark. It was a milestone game for Crosby whose second goal of the game at the 9:12 mark of the second period was his 200th career goal. Crosby has reached the 200 goal plateau in 396 games. Mario Lemieux owns the team record, scoring 200 goals in 277 games. Crosby scored at even strength, on the power play and short-handed. He has 18 goals and 22
Crosby, Kunitz leave practice early but both are expected to play Monday night
Sidney Crosby left today’s practice about 30 minutes into drills due to a recurring groin injury that has been nagging him. The injury though is not considered serious nor is it expected to keep Crosby out of the lineup tomorrow night against the Florida Panthers. The Penguins travel to Ft Lauderdale this afternoon for Monday’s contest against Florida.
Post-Tampa: Momentum builder for Pens, Fleury?
Post-Game Observations *– Coming off an embarrassing 7-4 loss Wednesday night, the table was set Friday night for a rebound game from the Penguins and goaltender Marc Andre Fleury. Tampa Bay played the night before, they were missing three of their top six forwards and this was a very winnable game. Pittsburgh took advantage of those factors and took care of business Friday night, defeating Tampa Bay 5-1 at the Consol Energy Center behind a stout defensive effort and role players stepping up. Pittsburgh got goals from Pascal Dupuis (5), Alex Goligoski (4), Max Talbot (3), Sidney Crosby (11) and Deryk Engelland (1) in the win. Crosby had a goal and assist in the game has now recorded four straight
Monday’s Pens’ Update: Crosby says Fleury needs to play
Monday’s Notes ***To All subscribers – If you’re interested in winning Penguins tickets, make sure to register by Friday for a chance to win two Penguins tickets (Section 109) for Monday, December 20, 2010 against the Phoenix Coyotes. Winner will be announced at 4:00 p.m. on Friday*** Pens Practice Update: Nothing real exciting to come out of today’s workout as the Penguins returned to the ice after having Sunday off. *Brent Johnson did not practice today. Johnson is battling an illnees but he should be back for tomorrow’s workout. The Penguins host the Boston Bruins Wednesdsay night. *Evgeni Malkin left practice about 40 minutes in. He’s still dealing with the effects of a knee bruise he suffered against the Philadelphia
Penguins lack of structure at the forefront of their issues
Is It Time to Worry? The Anaheim Ducks edged the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 on Friday night, behind a three goal second period. Goaltender Marc Andre Fleury made 16 saves in the loss to fall to 1-6 on the season. Sidney Crosby scored twice as the Penguins battled hard and made a late rally but it wasn’t enough. With the loss, Pittsburgh fell to 6-7-1 on the season and have now loss five of their last six games. The Penguins came into the season regarded as one of the games elite teams but they have been far from it. In fact, since the Penguins 9-1 start (Oct 2nd 2009 – Oct 23rd 2009) last season, Pittsburgh have been just treading around
Fleury will be given opportunity to earn back-to-back starts
Fleury’s performance tonight will dictate Saturday’s starter Goaltender Marc Andre Fleury (1-5-0, 3.35 GAA, .863 SV%) has not played since last Friday, a 3-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers at the Consol Energy Center. The Penguins have lost 4 of 5 games and Fleury will be back between the pipes tonight against the Anaheim Ducks, seeking his second win of the season. The plan coming into the Penguins three games in four night swing, was for Brent Johnson to start Wednesday and Saturday night and Fleury to start against Anaheim. Thus far the Penguins haven’t diverted from that plan but don’t rule it out.
Engelland’s defensive play against “skilled players” has caught the eye of his coach
Tuesday Report: Engelland locks down spot in Top-6 Injuries keep piling up on the Penguins blueline but the team is hopeful at some point during their road trip, maybe as early as Wednesday night, to get their top-6 blueliners together on the ice for the first time since opening night against Philadelphia. Defensemen Kris Letang (wrist) has a minor wrist injury but will try to give it ago tomorrow night. Letang participated fully in today’s practice and his injury is just a situation of playing with some pain. “There is a pain when I get a pass, and it vibrates in my fingers and my hands, ” Letang said. “It won’t get worse. It’s just a question of time to
Staal suffers hand injury in practice; Being evaluated by doctors
Pittsburgh Penguins center Jordan Staal suffered a setback in today’s practice but it had nothing to do with his injured foot. Staal left the ice about 30 minutes into practice, holding what appeared to be his hand. He was in considerable pain and went straight to the trainers room. Staal never returned to the ice and is now being evaluated by team doctors, according to head coach Dan Bylsma. This is a tough break for Staal who was ready to return to the lineup this week and there appears to be some concern from the team that this could be a long-term injury.
Pens Update: Staal skating with Comrie and Kennedy
Monday’s Practice Notes Pittsburgh Penguins center Jordan Staal appears ready to return to the lineup Wednesday night against the Dallas Stars. Staal opened up today’s practice skating on a line with wingers Mike Comrie and Tyler Kennedy on the second line. Staal’s straight forward speed has looked outstanding and the only area where he doesn’t appear 100% percent is with his lateral skating but it’s not an issue by any means. While it looks like Staal will be given clearance to play on Wednesday, it remains to be seen if Evgeni Malkin will join him on the ice against Dallas. Malkin (knee) missed today’s practice due to a knee bruise. An update on Malkin will come from the team after