Sidney Crosby needed to follow in the footsteps of Penguins legends Lemieux, Jagr and Francis. And he didn't disappoint in Game 3.
PITTSBURGH -- Into a sea of white stepped the man, make that the boy, in black.
At stake, not much really, just the hopes of 17,132 white-shirted fans hoping, seemingly against hope, that a 20-year-old kid in a black sweater and a tough spot could follow in the footsteps of legends like Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Ron Francis and lift the Pittsburgh Penguins back into at least a chance of contending for this year's edition of the Stanley Cup.
Not surprisingly, Sidney Crosby didn't disappoint.
The kid from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, Wednesday put on a performance worthy of past Pittsburgh greats and maybe even a verse or two from 'the Man in Black' were Johnny Cash alive to sing his praises today.
"I see the train a comin'. It's rolling down the track. It's the Pittsburgh Penguins playoff hopes on Sidney Crosby's back."
OK, sorry, a little too much lyrical license there, but you get the point. In the most pressure-packed moments of his still young NHL career, Crosby answered the call, shouldered the load, took his game to the next level or any other cliché you want to apply.
He scored the first two goals of the game, breaking open the Rubik's Cube that is the Detroit Red Wings defence that had so confounded him and his teammates. In the end, they provided both the points and the confidence that propelled the Pens past the Wings, 3-2 in an extremely entertaining game in the Mellon Arena.
Crosby also pulled his teammates back into a series that in the hours prior to this game was developing the smell of a sweep. He re-floated a power play that has seemed on the leading edge of haplessness and he inspired his teammates to a gritty kind of performance not seen against the Wings or any other team they've played in the playoffs so far. Crosby also sent a pointed message to the Red Wings that he can't be stopped (not forever at least).
Oh and did we mention he also caused a city, a television network and perhaps even the National Hockey League to let loose with a sigh of relief that could power a wind farm from here to Vancouver Island?
In short he created not just a win, but a series.
"He proved why, in our minds, he's the best player in the league," Penguins defenceman Ryan Whitney said.
All that and he's modest too.
"I didn't think I did anything different," Crosby said while making sure to pass praise to his teammates. "I got some good breaks on the plays (that led to his goals). I went to the spots I usually go to and it ended up they went in."
It wasn't quite that easy. Crosby admitted he was a tad more patient with his shots, a timing thing that he picked up just by learning from his misfires in the first two games.
As goals go, neither was a thing of beauty, at least not in a classical sense, but if guts and sheer determination are things to be admired, well Crosby didn't disappoint.
On the first goal, Detroit defenceman Brad Stuart threw a poorly aimed pass into the skates of teammate Henrik Zetterberg deep in his own zone. The puck bounced to Crosby and he dropped it to Marian Hossa. Hossa's weak shot bounced back to Crosby, who drove hard to the net and though Detroit goalie Chris Osgood made the first stop, Crosby carried on, corralled the rebound and drove it home. The goal, at 17:25 of the first period ended, Pittsburgh's scoreless streak at 153 minutes, 22 seconds (including time scoreless in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final) and Osgood's shutout streak vs. the Pens at 158 minutes, 58 seconds. The goal brought the crowd to its feet and the Penguins bench into a stand of near pandemonium, especially after Crosby emphatically pumped his fist in celebration.
The second goal, early in the second period, came off the power play. This time Crosby managed to get himself both open and alone at the side of the Detroit net. Sergei Gonchar rifled a shot in from the blue line that just did "ding" off both Ryan Malone and Hossa before Crosby corralled it and tucked it around the post before Osgood could react to the slight redirection.
One could argue luck but then that would seriously discount how the most-watched player on the ice got himself into position to get both the puck and the shot off without distraction.
"I went to the places I usually go and the puck came to me," he said. "But I think it helped to be patient too."
The Red Wings cut the margin to 2-1 with a power-play goal by Johan Franzen late in the second period but Crosby came out flying in the third and his efforts served to inspire or at least awaken the competitive fire in his teammates.
Good thing, because the Wings lifted their game a notch, producing one of the most exciting periods in the playoffs so far. In a series of end-to-end rushes, both teams traded chances until Pittsburgh broke through Osgood for a third goal, this one off the stick of Adam Hall and then the backside of Osgood before settling into the back of the net. The play was set up by a tremendous hit from Gary Roberts.
I'm happy for him (Hall)," Penguins coach Michel Therrien said. "It will probably be one of the most important goals of his career and I'm really happy it came with Gary on the ice."
That goal came just moments after Hossa hit the far post off a pretty backhand shot after stepping out from behind the net. Pascal Dupuis followed that up with a shot that was trickling toward the goal line when Osgood reached back and swept it away just inches from the goal line.
Hall's goal proved to be the winner after Mikael Samuelsson slipped a quick shot from the top of the faceoff circle to Fleury's left after the Pens lost a faceoff in their own zone as the Wings pressed to the final seconds of play.
In the end, however, it all revolved around Crosby and he didn't disappoint.
"On a big challenge like tonight, we approached our team, that it was a huge challenge for us…And there's no doubt that we were looking for our best player to bring an 'A' game," Therrien said.
"And certainly Sid did that tonight."
High praise, but then it's easy to sing the praises of Sidney Crosby.
Just ask anyone in a white Penguins t-shirt that was chanting his name.
