Not a word was spoken. Not a 'Sid! Sid!' or 'Hey! Hey!'
Nothing needed to be vocalized.
Such are the fringe benefits of being Sidney Crosby's linemate. You don't ask, he comes to you.
Basically, according to Jake Guentzel, that is what happened at 7:27 of the first period during the Penguins' 4-2 win over the Blue Jackets at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday night.
Tied 1-1, Guentzel was the recipient of Crosby's brilliant no-look, backhand pass that he snapped past Columbus goalie Joonas Korpisalo from 24 feet away:
The play started with right winger Dominik Simon, playing on the top line in place of Patric Hornqvist, getting in on the forecheck to hurry Scott Harrington, who coughed up the puck at the half wall. Kris Letang then fired a slap-pass to Crosby at the right side of the net. No sooner did the puck hit his stick, Crosby pivots and, without looking up, fired a backhand into the slot -- that somehow eluded Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski -- to Guentzel.
It was just the latest highlight reel play on the backhand from Crosby in what's become the season of the backhand for the Penguins captain.
He's not only scored a few goals via the backhand -- including an all-time great last month in Calgary on the Flames' Mike Smith -- but he's dished out more than a few, including on the first of Guentzel's three goals Saturday night.
Guentzel said he never shouted for a pass and even thought he should have read the play better and not slowed down. But, he added, Crosby just instinctively knew where his teammate was going to be as if he had eyes in the back of his head.
That is the challenge of playing with the best playmaker of this generation, and quite a few others. Crosby can not only shoot the puck with authority on the backhand but also pass with it. Because of that, Guentzel says you have to be prepared for the puck to come to you from anywhere.
"You know he's a really good player on his backhand," Guentzel said. "You have to be ready at all times. Obviously, he made some really good plays. I was pretty lucky to get that one."
Luck?
Not when Crosby can do it repeatedly.
"You just know that he's going to do something like that on his backhand because he's so good at it," Guentzel said. "Obviously, he's a special player."
Mike Sullivan, as he's been known to do, called Crosby's play "inspiring." Not sure about that one, coach. Brian Boyle is inspiring, Phil Kessel, too. If Crosby was inspiring his teammates, you'd like to think he'd do a better job encouraging Daniel Sprong to not throw a blind drop pass that led to an odd-man rush the other way. But I digress.
I'd go with 'incredible' or, perhaps, 'ridiculous' over inspiring. Crosby's vision, his ability to see plays develop before they happen, is truly remarkable.
But unlike other elite stars past and present, Crosby can do a whole lot more even without the puck.
"When he's on top of his game, there's nothing that surprises us," Sullivan said. "He's so strong on the puck. He protects pucks, he sees the ice so well, he's a threat off the rush. He's so hard to handle down below the goal line. The thing about Sid is that his 200-foot game is just so impressive. We play against the other team's top line, he's good in the defensive zone, he wins faceoffs, he backchecks, he blocks shots. There's no aspect of his game that he's not good at. I think that's what separates him from other elite players, just his overall complete game. With what he does with the puck, his vision and ability to see the ice, he makes those plays looks easy. But sometimes we marvel at what he does out there."
