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Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCredit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Where would the Pittsburgh Penguins be if captain Sidney Crosby weren\u2019t still able to make magic seemingly with pucks his teammates get anywhere near him? Surely not sitting in a playoff spot, as they are as of Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Setting up Crosby, who has 643 career goals, 15th all-time, can be an art form. Or it can be a desperate or lucky-looking play.<\/p>\n
With 18 goals in 25 games this season, Crosby ranks third in the NHL. As has been chronicled, at 38 Crosby is not slowing down. In fact, he\u2019s as savvy as ever, judging by the chances he has been converting.<\/p>\n
Over the past week, covering three games, Crosby has five goals, and some of the setups were sweet. Or at least he made them that way.<\/p>\n
In Friday\u2019s 4-3 win in Columbus<\/a>, Crosby scored twice. The first, the game\u2019s opener, was a classic backdoor pass from 20-year teammate Kris Letang. Crosby sank to one knee and guided the puck in from next to the post.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we play together for that long, we build chemistry and we build tendencies, and we work on different plays that we see in the game. And when we connect, it\u2019s always fun. It\u2019s not always goals that you see a ton in the league,\u201d Letang, who later scored the overtime winner that night, said Wednesday after practice.<\/p>\n According to the NHL, Crosby and Letang have combined on 310 goals, tied for second all-time for a forward-defenseman duo. Edmonton\u2019s Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey lead at 350. Los Angeles\u2019 Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty also have 310.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s always fun when we get on the scoring sheet together, especially with a play that we\u2019ve been practicing for a long time,\u201d Letang said.<\/p>\n Crosby\u2019s second goal against Columbus, the tying goal in the third, has had people talking since.<\/p>\n Crosby jumped over the boards with Evgeni Malkin coming off. He raced down the right side and looked for the pass that Tommy Novak was already sending his way, albeit a tad behind him. To kick the puck up to his stick \u2014 a move he\u2019s adept at \u2014 would have meant slowing some, and Blue Jackets defenseman Ivan Provorov was threatening to close in. So Crosby let the puck go behind him and off the boards. He raced to catch up with it coming off the boards at a fortuitous angle for a short breakaway and beat goaltender Jet Greaves, who opted not to risk coming out to try to poke the puck away from Crosby.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was cool because that was my first time on the scoresheet with him, so that was nice. Hopefully, not the last,\u201d Novak said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just throwing it over there, really, and he makes the play to not play it and let it bounce off the boards perfectly. It\u2019s impressive by him more than me. I was changing when the play was going on. I got off the ice. I didn\u2019t see it live. I watched the replay.\u201d<\/p>\n There was some sort of advanced, on-the-fly geometry or physics playing out in Crosby\u2019s mind, apparently, but he was humble as always, recounting the play.<\/p>\n \u201cI think you\u2019re just trying to stay onside at that point. That\u2019s the first thing,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd then trying to read it off of there. I was just thinking that staying on side and keeping my speed was the most important thing, whether to get on the forecheck. I didn\u2019t know I was going to have a breakaway.\u201d<\/p>\n Letang had no reason to downplay Crosby\u2019s skill on that goal.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s Sid\u2019s IQ, but it\u2019s also Novak\u2019s way of getting him the puck,\u201d Letang said. \u201cThe player that\u2019s on the receiving end, usually you have to make a decision \u2013 if you decide to turn and try to catch it or if you decide to use your speed and try to guess where the puck\u2019s going to go. With a high hockey IQ like Sid has, you can find those openings.\u201d<\/p>\n Saturday in a 7-2 loss to Toronto<\/a>, Crosby, on the edge of the crease, took a feed from Kevin Hayes and forcefully backhanded the puck past goaltender Dennis Hildeby.<\/p>\n Most recently, in Monday\u2019s 5-1 win in Philadelphia<\/a>, Crosby scored on a rebound of Bryan Rust\u2019s shot to open the scoring. He then got his second of the game, with Rust setting him up again.<\/p>\n Driving to the net, Rust, rather than shooting with goaltender Dan Vladar squared up on him, sent a rocket of a backhander out to Crosby in the slot. He threaded the puck through a crowded low slot.<\/p>\n \u201cRusty\u2019s pass on the second goal was one I almost wasn\u2019t ready for just because he sold that he was going to walk in and shoot,\u201d Crosby said, adding that he has to \u201cstay ready all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEspecially around the net, you\u2019ve got to keep your stick on the ice and be focused on finding the puck,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of bounces, and you don\u2019t have a lot of time in those small areas to get your stick on the puck if you\u2019re battling. I think you\u2019re just trying to get away from your check and then find the puck as fast as you can.\u201d<\/p>\n And that\u2019s often a product of going to, or being around, the net.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s where I typically look to score goals,\u201d Crosby said. \u201cI\u2019m not firing one-timers every night.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTags: Bryan Rust<\/a> Kris Letang<\/a> Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> Shelly Anderson<\/a> Sidney Crosby<\/a> tommy novak<\/a> <\/p>\n