Pens' Crosby unfazed by pressure to perform

By Rob Rossi, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Tuesday, November 10, 2009

BOSTON — He's under pressure, and Penguins captain Sidney Crosby wouldn't have it any other way.

Crosby has a career-worst streak of four games without a point, and hasn't scored in five contests since fellow center Evgeni Malkin was sidelined a right shoulder strain.

Crosby acknowledged Monday that he feels pressure to pick up his performance in the wake of injuries to five key contributors from the Penguins' 2009 Stanley Cup roster.

"(But) I don't think it hurts me," he said of that pressure after a practice at Boston University's Agganis Arena. "Usually, I get more out of myself because of that. It's something that has happened many times over the last few years — in the NHL or junior, whatever the case — and I've always felt like I've been better for it."

To get the Penguins better, at least mentally, coach Dan Bylsma deployed different forward units at practice. The noticeable changes were dropping wingers Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin from a spot with Crosby to a line with center Jordan Staal, and assigning Crosby the wing tandem of Matt Cooke and Ruslan Fedotenko.

"Our game has not been where we want it to be the last couple of games," Bylsma said. "This is a different look for a couple of different guys, and given the fact we have a few guys out of the lineup is another reason why the lines look liked they did."

The Penguins will play a third straight game without Malkin and winger Tyler Kennedy, who is second among forwards with five goals but has not stepped onto the ice since a pregame warm-up Thursday at Los Angeles.

Without Malkin, Kennedy and forward Max Talbot, and defensemen Sergei Gonchar and Kris Letang, the Penguins are missing five players who accounted for 43 percent of their 2009 playoff goal scoring.

"You look at it, like, 'Oh, my God, all those guys,'" winger Pascal Dupuis said. "Injuries are always part of hockey, but for some reason with us it's a lot of our top guys."

Crosby is the Penguins' top guy, even though Malkin has paced the club in scoring the past two seasons. Crosby's line is always considered the top scoring unit. As Malkin said, "Sid is the guy teams try to stop first."

Still, his two assists without Malkin in the lineup — albeit over a small sample size of five games and with the Penguins considerably short-handed — do not compare to the 22 goals and 54 points Malkin has posted in 36 games missed by Crosby the past two seasons.

Before this injury, Malkin had missed only the first four games of his rookie season in 2006-07.

Crosby's production hasn't been helped by the struggling Kunitz and Guerin, his regular wingers from last season through a shutout loss Saturday night at San Jose. Those players have combined for only six goals and just three in the past nine contests.

Assessing his success, personally or as part of a line, is not something Crosby does by looking at a score sheet.

"You have to really know what you're watching to judge how guys are playing," he said. "It's tough. You analyze your line when it changes more than anything, but ... have we played bad? No. Have we produced? No. That's just the way it is."


Malkin: Crosby having 'bad luck'

Having caught a scout's-eye view from the press box while sitting out the past five games with a right shoulder injury, Malkin offered an evaluation Monday of Crosby's four-game point drought.

"Sid is playing great," Malkin said after his second straight light on-ice workout at Agganis Arena. "He is (showing) leadership, (trying to) create a lot of chances. He's having some bad luck, but that is all."

Crosby has posted only two assists in Malkin's absence, but he has attempted 23 shots during that span. He has misfired on seven attempts, and four were blocked.

"I've seen from up top, and he's played awesome," Malkin said. "It's hockey. The team wins and Sid doesn't score, and it's OK. The team loses and Sid doesn't score, it's bad.

"But Sid is OK."

Malkin predicted an offensive awakening for Crosby tonight at Boston.

"He'll have points, I think," Malkin said. "I think Sid is in for a great game."


More Penguins headlines

Pens' Letang out 2 weeks with right shoulder injury
Penguins president suffers heart attack
Scouting the Boston Bruins
Ovechkin: Extended absence 'a joke'
Hall of Fame inductees reflect on lockout
Pens' injury issues stack up
Lundqvist injury a concern for Rangers