Philadelphia Daily News
Posted on Mon, May. 12, 2008
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby, left, tries to move the puck past Philadelphia Flyers forward Steve Downie during the first period in Game 2 of the NHL Eastern Conference hockey finals in Pittsburgh, Sunday, May 11, 2008.
(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
PITTSBURGH - For most of the NHL playoffs, Penguins center and reigning Hart Trophy winner Sidney Crosby has played second fiddle to the likes of emerging star Evgeni Malkin and late-season pickup Marian Hossa.
But playing against the Flyers appears to have revived the 20-year-old center. He notched a first-period goal and added an assist - and might have had an even bigger night - during the Penguins' 4-2 win last night over the Flyers that gave his team a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals.
Crosby has now scored in each of the first two games of this series, after being held without a goal during the Penguins' five-game victory over the New York Rangers in the second round.
"In the playoffs, you're not just going to get your chances, you have to work for them," Crosby said. "Sometimes you get them, sometimes you don't. That's just playoff hockey. You have to give yourself the best chance possible. I have to give myself a chance to create plays, and I've been focusing on that."
At 16:41 of the first period last night, Crosby looked like he gave the Penguins a 2-0 lead. Sergei Gonchar shot the puck, which deflected off Flyers defenseman Derian Hatcher and toward the goal line. Crosby appeared to then whack the puck just over the line, but the call on the ice was that Flyers goalie Martin Biron had covered the puck first.
The play was reviewed by video officials and, after a delay of several minutes, it was ruled no goal.
"It was inconclusive, from what I was told," Crosby said. "They couldn't see the puck cross the line from the angle they had. The referees' call on the ice was no goal. If it's inconclusive and the referee calls no goal, then it's no goal. I thought we did a good job of staying focused after that. You never know, it's a close one to call, and obviously it didn't go our way. But we kept going. I give us credit for that."
PITTSBURGH - MAY 11: Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins puts the puck past goaltender Martin Biron #43 of the Philadelphia Flyers on a goal that was later dis-allowed during the first period of game two of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2008 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Mellon Arena on May 11, 2008 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
It was Crosby - with some help from a pair of Flyers penalties - who put the Penguins ahead 1-0 midway through the first period.
Flyers forward Jeff Carter was called for tripping Jordan Staal 8:44 into the period. With 4 seconds left in that penalty, Mike Knuble received 2 minutes for crosschecking Staal. That gave the Penguins a brief five-on-three advantage, and Crosby delivered.
Crosby, shooting from a severe angle along the goal line, snuck the puck between Biron and the post.
Crosby, who did have six assists against the Rangers, has scored a goal in back-to-back games for the first time since Games 3 and 4 of the Penguins' first-round sweep of Ottawa. In all, he has four goals and 13 assists in the playoffs. His 17 points are tied with Malkin for the team lead.
Crosby, who scored 24 goals in the regular season while playing only 53 games because of a high-ankle sprain, has watched his teammates score the big goals. They included other stars, like Malkin (eight playoff goals) and Hossa, who scored his sixth playoff goal last night. But lesser-known players have stepped up in Crosby's place, including fourth-line forward Max Talbot, who return from a foot injury last night and scored the game-winning goal.
"It shows we have depth," Penguins coach Michel Therrien said. "We're happy to have that depth."
Added Crosby, "[Talbot's goal] was huge for us. That's been the story of us in the playoffs, those guys have stepped up and scored huge goals. Their play doesn't show up on the score sheet sometimes, but they've been huge for us."
The good news for Crosby? He has had great success against the Flyers in his 3-year career, and that's continued in this series.
Including the playoffs, Crosby now has four goals and six assists in six games against the Flyers in the 2007-08 season. For his career, he has 18 goals and 22 assists in 22 games against Philadelphia.
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