Most of Sidney Crosby’s teammates have long since lost the ability to be genuinely surprised by just about anything their captain does on the ice.
So when he scores a goal like he did in the third period of the Penguins’ 5-4 overtime win against the Flyers Sunday — fending off Sean Couturier with one hand and deftly maneuvering the puck through the offensive zone with the other, before firing a short-angle wrist shot past Petr Mrazek — they can’t really say they didn’t see it coming.
But that doesn’t mean they’re any less impressed.
“It’s just one of those things like, ‘Well, there’s another one for the list,’ ” Bryan Rust said.
Crosby made his presence felt in a big way at the end of the Penguins’ divisional showdown against Philadelphia Sunday. His highlight-reel goal put them ahead early in the third and, after a late Flyers goal forced overtime, Crosby found Rust with a picture-perfect pass to set up the game-winner.
“He’s starting to heat up at the right moment,” Patric Hornqvist said. “That’s why he’s a world-class player and he’s going to be there for a long time. He’s been there for a long time. It’s just fun to watch, fun to be a part of.”
On the goal, his 26th of the season and third in as many games, Crosby said he was initially looking to move the puck to a teammate as he warded off Couturier, a strong defensive forward.
“There wasn't much open there,” Crosby said. “It was one of those ones where you get time, you're in a good area and you've got to shoot it.”
When it went in, the end result was a goal that at least comes close to the double-deflection score Crosby put in against the Canadiens Wednesday night.
“Everybody’s cheering for him and saying the same thing, ‘Did this really happen?’” Hornqvist said. “It happened two games ago against Montreal. He scored — not the same type of goal, but a crazy goal. He’s the best player in the world, and if you’re that, you can do those things.”
The Penguins ended up needing Crosby to play at that level only he can reach in order to secure a vital two points in the standings. They move three points ahead of the Blue Jackets and Flyers, and within three points of Washington for first place in the Metropolitan Division, though the Capitals have a game in hand.
“These were important points,” Crosby said. “Unfortunately, we couldn't finish it off in regulation, but we did some good things, especially in the second and third. We created a lot and found a way to win in overtime.”
The Penguins were 42.6 seconds away from sending the Flyers home empty-handed before Couturier scored on a scramble in front of Matt Murray to force the extra session.
But even if it took a little longer than they would have liked, the Penguins were happy to add two points from a solid, yet certain flawed effort.
The Flyers controlled play early, going up 2-1 in the first period and dominating shot attempts. Both goals came on long-range, mostly-unscreened shots that beat Murray’s glove. But after those first 20 minutes, Murray steadily improved to stop 41 of the 45 shots he faced.
“That’s my goal every night is just to try and get a little bit better as the game goes on,” Murray said. “Just feel better and better as I go. I thought that was the way the game trended today.”
The Penguins, as a team, improved from that point on, as well. Hornqvist and Evgeni Malkin scored back-to-back goals early in the second period to pull them ahead, and they chased Flyers goalie Alex Lyon after the third one.
Still, Murray certainly wasn’t lacking for work on the other end. The Penguins gave up 45 shots on goal, their fourth consecutive game with at least 30 shots allowed.
Mike Sullivan said the shot clock can sometimes be deceiving, but admitted that a number like what the Flyers put up was certainly an indication that the game was played mostly in front of Murray.
“I don’t think we did as good a job getting in shot lanes,” Sullivan said. “I think that’s an area of our game where we haven’t been as good at, getting in shot lanes and making it hard for teams to get pucks to the net. It seems like every shot they’re taking is getting to the net. That’s an area where I know we have to improve, we have to get better.”
Sullivan said he saw glimpses of playoff-caliber defensive play, but is still looking for the Penguins to put it together over the course of a game.
“It’s finding that consistency, I think, that’s going to make us a stiffer team or a stingier team to play against,” Sullivan said.
But when you have Sidney Crosby on your bench, ready and able to score goals and make plays the way only he can, it tends to give you a little more time to sort everything else out.
“He’s just one of those elite players,” Sullivan said. “He elevates his game when the stakes are high, and that’s when he’s at his best. I think that’s why he’s one of the most accomplished players ever to play.”
Sam Werner: swerner@post-gazette.com and Twitter @SWernerPG
First Published: March 25, 2018, 7:18 p.m.
