The Pittsburgh Penguins showed their smarts in overtime against the Detroit Hurricanes.
PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Penguins have been pretty bad in overtime periods during the 2023-24 season. Against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Penguins started with Lars Eller on the ice and failed to gain possession of the puck, losing in 90 seconds.
Head coach Mike Sullivan was criticized for putting Eller out over Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, but he had his reasons. Crosby had a skate issue, but he’s also been pretty poor in overtimes this season.
A few days later, in their biggest game of the season, the Penguins again went to overtime against the Detroit Red Wings. Crosby started this time but may have put together a play that showed his extreme hockey IQ.
Crosby jumped on the faceoff, forcing him to be kicked from the dot. Bryan Rust came in and seemingly lost the draw on purpose to Dylan Larkin.
Now playing the wing, Crosby jumped directly to where Larkin’s faceoff went and stole the puck, giving the Penguins possession. The Penguins never lost the puck and won thanks to Crosby’s 1,000th assist and a massive goal from Erik Karlsson.
It was a small thing, but it turned out to have a significant impact on the game and possibly the Penguins season.
Insiders Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman discussed the draw on the Jeff Marek Show and whether it was a set play by Crosby.
“That is chess versus checkers,” Marek said. “That is a Sidney Crosby, Bryan Rust set play.”
“There’s no question about it,” Friedman said.
Part of the Penguins' problem in overtime has been gaining possession. They've acknowledged that not possessing the puck can make or break their bonus frames, but this set play got them exactly what they needed.
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