Post-Game Talk: Pens 3, Isles 2 - Sid Remembered How to Shoot a Puck

[imouttahereEdWinger]

Hey, that’s true but one game isn’t a microcosm of a season. He’s been just fine this season, considering how weird it’s been.

No he hasn't. He took off the first half of the season like the rest of the team and here he is taking another month off. Forget the old Crosby "non-stop motor" thing. His reputation needs updated. He's done this for about 3 seasons now. It's fine, though. Everyone gets old, or he's just choosing health over scoring more, or both. He'll turn it up in the playoffs.

He’s right outside top ten in scoring and his metrics are good. Unless he gets a line that clicks for a bit that’s pretty much what you can expect. And that’s fine. If his preferred wing option didn’t have to play third line center for a while and he had a few more PP points it’d be a different story.

Nah he did better playing with garbage years ago. He's different now. Younger Crosby would be scoring over 100 this year, having missed no games.

 

[Richard]

It was pretty mediocre. It wasn´t a terrible game accoording to basic standards, but Sid should do more, so yeah, he deserves some criticism. But just one thing. There really wasn´t that gross of a difference between Sid´s and Geno´s game yesterday. There was some, but not huge. One would say that Sid even compensated it with that OT winner, while Geno was quite responsible for that 2nd Isles goal. So you are saying that you use the same standards for Sid and Geno (and Phil). Yet you say Sid was poor and Geno was excellent yesterday. Which is a bit.... weird.

I think there was a vast difference. Geno made a couple turnovers in the defensive zone, mostly due to adjusting to new pairings and a new defender-but still crap.

Crosby is either out of gas or getting old fast. He is the highest man in the defensive zone A LOT, and his "defense" last night consisted of some lazy circles and swipes with his stick. It was bad.

But more noticeable is his lack of jump with the puck at any point on the rink OTHER than behind the net in the corner of the offensive zone. One play particularly stood out-late in the third Crosby caught a defender completely flat footed. I forget who it was but he KNEW he was done and Crosby was going to go around him to the net. Crosby flips the puck over the dmans stick and cannot get around a flat footed dman. 25 year old Crosby gets around him and is one on one with the goalie.

Crosby is either hurt or simply aging FAST.

As soon as Crosby gets the puck he chips it to a winger in the neutral zone- the entire play runs through Malkin from the Dzone to the ozone. Crosby is losing 50/50 pucks and isn't even able to beat below average NHL defenders to the puck. He is surviving on his hockey mind. He looks like Mario after 2001- still capable of racking up points because he is playing chess while everyone is playing checkers but not because of his physical play.

Any penguin fan who is not really concerned is deluding themselves. I hope I eat all the crow in the world and Crosby beasts it in the playoffs. It just doesn't look like that is going to happen. He is still top 15 centers for sure-but I'm not seeing the skatework or body control of a normal sidney crosby.

 

[BlankFrank416]

Alright guys, you’ve convinced me. Sidney Crosby sucks.

 

[Will Hunting]

I think there was a vast difference. Geno made a couple turnovers in the defensive zone, mostly due to adjusting to new pairings and a new defender-but still crap.

Crosby is either out of gas or getting old fast. He is the highest man in the defensive zone A LOT, and his "defense" last night consisted of some lazy circles and swipes with his stick. It was bad.

But more noticeable is his lack of jump with the puck at any point on the rink OTHER than behind the net in the corner of the offensive zone. One play particularly stood out-late in the third Crosby caught a defender completely flat footed. I forget who it was but he KNEW he was done and Crosby was going to go around him to the net. Crosby flips the puck over the dmans stick and cannot get around a flat footed dman. 25 year old Crosby gets around him and is one on one with the goalie.

Crosby is either hurt or simply aging FAST.

As soon as Crosby gets the puck he chips it to a winger in the neutral zone- the entire play runs through Malkin from the Dzone to the ozone. Crosby is losing 50/50 pucks and isn't even able to beat below average NHL defenders to the puck. He is surviving on his hockey mind. He looks like Mario after 2001- still capable of racking up points because he is playing chess while everyone is playing checkers but not because of his physical play.

Any penguin fan who is not really concerned is deluding themselves. I hope I eat all the crow in the world and Crosby beasts it in the playoffs. It just doesn't look like that is going to happen. He is still top 15 centers for sure-but I'm not seeing the skatework or body control of a normal sidney crosby.

Remember that overtime shift vs Columbus? It was 2 or 3 months ago. Yeah, he still has it, he is just saving it 90% of a time. Usually, he still dominates overtimes, showing pulse and strength there. He can still dominate shifts. And I guess we will see more of it in the playoffs. He is not physically done.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

A lot of Crosby posts here seem to be implying that he went into this game with the intention to purposely suck to save energy for April. That really doesn’t sound like Crosby. A player can have a bad game or bad shift without it being a matter of ‘motivation’ or ‘heart’ or ‘hustle’ or whatever. Also, he won the game.

Pacing yourself doesn't mean you go into a game planning to suck.

That's an odd way to put it....

You purposely change your game and pick your spots though... i.e. It's clear he isn't taking pucks to the net this season, and I'm 99.9% sure that's on purpose.

It's also clear he isn't going balls to the walls every shift either.

I don't see why people get so offended about this topic. Crosby flat out said it's hard to get motivated during the regular season and find the same passion as you have in the playoffs. It's just him being honest.

I’m still not giving him that title until he outpaces the previous generation in any meaningful way. He barely edged out Crosby last year in points per game despite a huge linemate disparity. His skating is likely the best all time already, but Malkin, Kucherov and MacKinnon all have him beat in points per game right now.

I really like all those players, but McDavid is a one man army right now in a badly run org.

Greatest player in the league is always going to be relative, even with Gretzky and Lemieux, so the title doesn't matter really.

I'd take McDavid over any player right now to build a team without even blinking. He's just unreal and since he decided his teammates blow, he's been scoring at almost a goal per game clip.

Crosby won't be the best forever, it's really not that big a deal really.

 

[Turin]

He played at an almost 50 goal, 100 point pace last year at 29. I don’t think he’s toast at 30. He just doesn’t have any jump for some reason. But we’ve seen Geno be a monster this year, we’ve seen Ovi bounce back after being actual garbage last year and he’s been up and down since he turned 26 honestly.

Also, he may just have decided regular season production means little to him given his string of unfortunate injuries at the height of his prime and recent playoff success.

 

[Turin]

I'd take McDavid over any player right now to build a team without even blinking. He's just unreal and since he decided his teammates blow, he's been scoring at almost a goal per game clip.

Crosby won't be the best forever, it's really not that big a deal really.

No arguement there. He’s going to be the best of his generation when it’s all said and done.

 

[SHOOTANDSCORE]

I agree that Sid doesn't look like himself. I don't think that anyone who has watched him over the course of his career would argue with that.

The cause is up for debate. I'd argue that it's a multitude of things combining this year but who knows.

ETA: One thing that I'd argue is hurting him is that he seems to have spells where he loses focus. I can't say I blame him considering how much hockey he's played.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

He played at an almost 50 goal, 100 point pace last year at 29. I don’t think he’s toast at 30. He just doesn’t have any jump for some reason. But we’ve seen Geno be a monster this year, we’ve seen Ovi bounce back after being actual garbage last year and he’s been up and down since he turned 26 honestly.

Also, he may just have decided regular season production means little to him given his string of unfortunate injuries at the height of his prime and recent playoff success.

Crosby has to play in the high traffic areas to be at his best, just like McDavid is doing right now. However, McDavid plays without fear because he is still young and cutting his legacy.

I'm not Crosby, but I'm convinced he has his sights on a third cup and he's playing more of a perimeter game to stay healthy and not put himself through the grinder.

So he's obviously not toast, he just has his sights on something much bigger and historical than a scoring title.

Many Oilers fans got pissed off when I suggested all this at the start of the season, but it's pretty clear that was Crosby's plan coming into the season. Apparently he's suppose to care as much about the Art Ross as doing something even the greats like Lemieux, Orr and Gretzky couldn't do...

 

[Turin]

Crosby has to play in the high traffic areas to be at his best, just like McDavid is doing right now. However, McDavid plays without fear because he is still young and cutting his legacy.

I'm not Crosby, but I'm convinced he has his sights on a third cup and he's playing more of a perimeter game to stay healthy and not put himself through the grinder.

So he's obviously not toast, he just has his sights on something much bigger and historical than a scoring title.

Many Oilers fans got pissed off when I suggested all this at the start of the season, but it's pretty clear that was Crosby's plan coming into the season. Apparently he's suppose to care as much about the Art Ross as doing something even the greats like Lemieux, Orr and Gretzky couldn't do...

Wouldn’t be surprised. He said earlier in the season that his body feels great and that he feels younger than 30. Combine all that with the desire to get Reaves, and it’s plauasable that Crosby was determined to just get through the regular season without getting brained again. Maybe the org even put a mandate on it, Rutherford was furious after the Niskanen hit and the Ottawa shenanigans.

 

[BlankFrank416]

Crosby has to play in the high traffic areas to be at his best, just like McDavid is doing right now. However, McDavid plays without fear because he is still young and cutting his legacy.

I'm not Crosby, but I'm convinced he has his sights on a third cup and he's playing more of a perimeter game to stay healthy and not put himself through the grinder.

So he's obviously not toast, he just has his sights on something much bigger and historical than a scoring title.

Many Oilers fans got pissed off when I suggested all this at the start of the season, but it's pretty clear that was Crosby's plan coming into the season. Apparently he's suppose to care as much about the Art Ross as doing something even the greats like Lemieux, Orr and Gretzky couldn't do...

And at the end of the day, his advanced stats are good and he’s producing above a point per game. For a lot of teams that’d be the difference between one spot out of the wildcard and in the playoffs.

Plus I heard from my cousin’s girlfriend’s sister that Crosby got really into writing Yelp reviews and that’s taking up a lot of his time.

 

[Gurglesons]

This couldn't be more wrong. I'm not saying we have to like it, I'm just saying that this is completely off base, as there's far too many examples proving otherwise.

It is not off base. Chicago did it regularly.

If he doesn’t want that deal, walk away. Players like Hunwick will never be the difference between a cup or not. Why give a borderline 5 or 6, three years?

I’d understand you argument for say what Daley or Hainsey got, but those are established top four D men. Hunwick basically was a bottom pairing guy or a health scratch every season outside of Boston in his career and with Toronto who had one of the worst defenses in the league that the past two years.

 

[ColePens]

Alright guys, you’ve convinced me. Sidney Crosby sucks.

This type of posting is worthless. This is a PGT. It's meant to solely discuss the one game. If you disagree, cool. State your reasons, take part in the conversation and move on.

Nobody is saying Sid sucks. 99 percent of us think he's the best in the world. We are discussing his effort in this particular game.

 

[madinsomniac]

I think its pretty obvious that for stretches Crosby has played a low effort perimeter game this season... id say its the typical veteran conservation move... I don't think its a coincidence that the team ends tge year out of a playoff spot and suddenly the stars tear it up for a month, get in solid position, then lollygag around for a couple games

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Any penguin fan who is not really concerned is deluding themselves. I hope I eat all the crow in the world and Crosby beasts it in the playoffs. It just doesn't look like that is going to happen. He is still top 15 centers for sure-but I'm not seeing the skatework or body control of a normal sidney crosby.

The guy literally just won a Conn Smythe this past June. He won the Rocket last year as well. Because he's coasting more this year and "only" on pace for like 90 points, he's now at best a top 15 center?

Sometimes I wonder about this fanbase.

 

[Gurglesons]

I can’t tell if Sid has like a nagging injury or if he is just struggling to care at the moment.

Definitely doesn’t seem like an age thing to me. More comfort with linemates / confidence.

Also, would not be surprised if he puts another 25 points up in the playoffs, he definitely has had flashes like that.

 

[ncm7772]

I think there was a vast difference. Geno made a couple turnovers in the defensive zone, mostly due to adjusting to new pairings and a new defender-but still crap.

Crosby is either out of gas or getting old fast. He is the highest man in the defensive zone A LOT, and his "defense" last night consisted of some lazy circles and swipes with his stick. It was bad.

But more noticeable is his lack of jump with the puck at any point on the rink OTHER than behind the net in the corner of the offensive zone. One play particularly stood out-late in the third Crosby caught a defender completely flat footed. I forget who it was but he KNEW he was done and Crosby was going to go around him to the net. Crosby flips the puck over the dmans stick and cannot get around a flat footed dman. 25 year old Crosby gets around him and is one on one with the goalie.

Crosby is either hurt or simply aging FAST.

As soon as Crosby gets the puck he chips it to a winger in the neutral zone- the entire play runs through Malkin from the Dzone to the ozone. Crosby is losing 50/50 pucks and isn't even able to beat below average NHL defenders to the puck. He is surviving on his hockey mind. He looks like Mario after 2001- still capable of racking up points because he is playing chess while everyone is playing checkers but not because of his physical play.

Any penguin fan who is not really concerned is deluding themselves. I hope I eat all the crow in the world and Crosby beasts it in the playoffs. It just doesn't look like that is going to happen. He is still top 15 centers for sure-but I'm not seeing the skatework or body control of a normal sidney crosby.

I think you need to chill, maybe sit out the next few plays.

 

[Ryder71]

Alright guys, you’ve convinced me. Sidney Crosby sucks.

I think there is some underlying issue, be it mental or physical something is off. I don't however subscribe to the theory he's the best in the world. Malkin has passed him up and IMO it was pretty close before that over the years. McDavid has easily passed Sid up, Kucherov and Mackinnon. He's still an elite player but the best in the world mantra isn't accurate anymore when it comes to Sid. As long as he helps us win when it counts most that's all that matters. Hopefully that'll be the case.

 

[Pancakes]

I think there is some underlying issue, be it mental or physical something is off. I don't however subscribe to the theory he's the best in the world. Malkin has passed him up and IMO it was pretty close before that over the years. McDavid has easily passed Sid up, Kucherov and Mackinnon. He's still an elite player but the best in the world mantra isn't accurate anymore when it comes to Sid. As long as he helps us win when it counts most that's all that matters. Hopefully that'll be the case.

I don't know that Mcdavid has easily passed him up. Just last year Sid's pace put him around 100 points and he had many more goals than Mcdavid. Malkin is out performing him this year but we've seen that before. Would anyone be surprised if the tables flipped next year and Sid went on a tear while Geno struggled a bit? Not me. And look at Ovechkin. Every other year people say he's done and then the next year he roars back and is winning Richards again.

I wouldn't be so quick to cue up Crosby's demise, especially when you consider how much hockey we've played the past two years.

 

[Pancakes]

Having said all that, I wouldn't be surprised to see Geno age better than Sid and that's mainly because of Geno's size.

 

[Ryder71]

I don't know that Mcdavid has easily passed him up. Just last year Sid's pace put him around 100 points and he had many more goals than Mcdavid. Malkin is out performing him this year but we've seen that before. Would anyone be surprised if the tables flipped next year and Sid went on a tear while Geno struggled a bit? Not me. And look at Ovechkin. Every other year people say he's done and then the next year he roars back and is winning Richards again.

I wouldn't be so quick to cue up Crosby's demise, especially when you consider how much hockey we've played the past two years.

Geno is a year older and is producing close to his career avg. He's on the same team, how do you explain that?

Crosby isn't best player in the world, nothing wrong with that. It doesn't mean he's not elite, just means he's not the best. The best player in the world is arguably his team mate.

 

[Pancakes]

Geno is a year older and is producing close to his career avg. He's on the same team, how do you explain that?

Crosby isn't best player in the world, nothing wrong with that. It doesn't mean he's not elite, just means he's not the best. The best player in the world is arguably his team mate.

This year he's not. Last year he was. Last year Geno wasn't, but this year Geno arguably is.

Best player in the world changes from year to year. Sid and Geno are always in that conversation because of their consistency.

 

[Ryder71]

This year he's not. Last year he was. Last year Geno wasn't, but this year Geno arguably is.

Best player in the world changes from year to year. Sid and Geno are always in that conversation because of their consistency.

I'm glad we have them both. I think we can all agree on that.

 

[chethejet]

Sid has played a lot of hockey and at a high intense level to boot. He may be "pacing" himself and would it surprise anyone that he just has a little less in the tank. There are 16 games remaining and we will see how that goes. But he isn't 25 and his physical play will not be as robust due to back to back cups. .

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Having said all that, I wouldn't be surprised to see Geno age better than Sid and that's mainly because of Geno's size.

I think both Malkin and Crosby will be 75-80 point guys into their mid 30s, but I suspect Crosby out lasts Malkin. Malkin really isn't bigger than Crosby though... similar weight, while Malkin is taller and Crosby is way more stocky.

I think Crosby will play until he's 40 or older. He's a workout warrior, has no wife or kids, and the game is his life. Much like Jagr to be honest.

Maybe circumstances change and he settles down, but he seems married to hockey.