Sidney Crosby is having a season worthy of MVP discussions, but the Pittsburgh Penguins continue to let him down.

PITTSBURGH – As the NHL All-Star break closes in, the Pittsburgh Penguins are still sitting multiple wins outside of a playoff spot. While fans will be quick to place blame all over the lineup, there is one name that is free of any wrongdoing this season.

Sidney Crosby has put together a near perfect season through 44 games with a team leading 27 goals and 48 total points. Those numbers don’t stack up compared to some of the NHL’s leaders, but what Crosby is doing this season is almost unheard of.

At the age of 36, Crosby is pacing for a career year in goal scoring, playing some of the best defensive hockey of his career, and is doing everything he can to force the Penguins back into the postseason. No one was happy with how the 2022-23 season ended, and Crosby has been on a mission all year long to not let that happen again.

Crosby’s efforts have put him just outside of the conversation for the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player. There is a clear reason why he hasn’t been leading the early running, and that’s the rest of the Penguins holding him back.

It’s extremely rare to see the Hart get handed to a player whose team missed the postseason, and if the Penguins can’t get Crosby any help, he likely won’t break that mold.

Despite the numbers and pure will Crosby is putting into the Penguins; they are still seventh in the Metropolitan Division with a 21-17-6 record and 48 total standings points. They sit five points back of a wild card spot, and even that might be unlikely.

Full team efforts have thrown away outstanding performances from Crosby on too many occasions and their most recent loss to the Vegas Golden Knights was another prime example of that. Crosby scored his fifth goal in five games, yet the Penguins lost their fourth game in that stretch.

The Penguins are letting Crosby down and even the other core members aren’t stepping up when it matters most. Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin combined for one of the biggest gaffs the Penguins have seen in a long time.

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