Sidney Crosby Carrying Penguins Towards Playoffs
The Pittsburgh Penguins are being carried into playoff contention by their captain .
The Pittsburgh Penguins enter tonight's matchup against the Seattle Kraken with their second-longest win streak of the 2023-24 season. It's only three games, but it's enough to keep what little playoff hope the Penguins have alive.
Once again, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has been the backbone of the Penguins' effort. Since the injury to Jake Guentzel, the Penguins' second leading scorer of goals (22) and points (52), Crosby has taken his game to a different level.
The 19-year NHL veteran has ten points (4G-6A) in the past six games and has produced 58% of the expected goals at 5v5, per NaturalStatTrick.
Crosby's stellar stretch has put him back on pace for over 90 points this season and has the Penguins within seven points of two different playoff spots. They have the games in hand to catch and surpass the Tampa Bay Lightning and Philadelphia Flyers. It's a familiar position for Crosby and the Penguins.
Last season, the Penguins spent the tail end of the season fighting for one of the final postseason spots in the Eastern Conference.
The team turned to Crosby to get them over the hump, but the veteran center broke down late in the season, scoring ten points (4G-6A) over the final 14 games as the Penguins missed out on the playoffs by one point in the standings.
This season, the Penguins have 26 games remaining over 48 days. Crosby has looked hellbent on pulling the Penguins back up the standings, but any drop-off in production (like last season) may signal the end of the road.
The Penguins playoff hopes rest on the shoulders of their aging captain, but at least for now, it appears that he may reach a level that few others can to attempt them over the top.
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