Kris Letang probably said it best.
When I asked Letang what was going through his mind when Sidney Crosby made his unreal, between-the-legs no-look pass to Bryan Rust to set up Rust's power-play goal Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena, he chuckled a little before answering.
"I mean, are you guys surprised now?" he said. "I don't think so. Right?"
Plays like this one from Crosby in the Penguins' 6-3 win over the Coyotes are somehow simultaneously unbelievable, but to be expected:
That didn't just go through Crosby's legs. It then goes through the legs of the Coyotes' Anton Stralman, too. He just knew where Rust would be planted on the power play and got him the puck, not even turning for a glance until the puck was already halfway to Rust's stick.
Rust said that his initial thought upon seeing that move happen was just "try to put it in the net."
He did.
And like Letang, Rust didn't even seem to be too fazed by what had just occurred.
"Looking back on it, it's just one of those things that you take a step back and say it's just another fantastic Sid play," he said. "I've been around a while. I've seen a lot of those."
JUSTIN K. ALLER / GETTY
Sidney Crosby watches Bryan Rust's goal go in vs. the Coyotes at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday
Mike Sullivan called his view from the bench "the best seat in the house" for when his superstar players make those kinds of plays.
"Sometimes we marvel at what they do out there," he said. "I think that's an indication of their generational talent. And they do it an awful lot. So I think we're fortunate in Pittsburgh to have the privilege to watch these guys every night."
Letang expects to keep seeing plays like that for years to come.
"You know, we have two guys that are like superstars, future Hall of Famers," Letang said. "So those type of plays, they can make it at a really high speed. Sometimes you think that they have eyes in the back of their head also. You're going to keep being amazed, even if he's 34, 35 until he's 40, he's going to be one of the best players in the world."
Now, when Sullivan speaks of generational talents, and Letang talks about two superstars, it's pretty safe to say that the other player they're referring to is not fourth-line center Brian Boyle. It's Evgeni Malkin.
It was Crosby's ridiculous between-the-legs pass that set up the Penguins' first goal. But then it was Boyle breaking out the slick, skilled move for the game's final goal, putting the puck between his own legs and lifting it top shelf over Coyotes goaltender Karel Vejmelka:
It's not your typical fourth-line grinder-style type of goal.
"We expect that from Sid," Letang said on his postgame broadcast interview. "But Boyler, maybe not."
You could see it in the reaction from Boyle's teammates, how happy they were to see him not only get another goal but also a goal like that. They celebrated more than Boyle himself, who just stuck to a sly grin on his way back to the Penguins' bench.
"That was awesome," Rust said of the goal. "I think that pretty much sums it up."
Boyle's role is what it is on the fourth line, but that doesn't mean he lacks offensive instincts. In his last full season in 2018-19, when he played 73 games split between the Devils and Predators, he put forth 18 goals and six assists. In his last season in 2019-20 with the Panthers, he scored six goals in 39 games. Now at the midway point of the season, he's on pace for 10. That's not bad for a 37-year-old who didn't even play professional hockey at all last season.
I think we see a bit more of these skilled-type of plays from Boyle in the morning skates and practices, when he has a bit more fun and just spends time trying stuff like that. If they could award three stars for optional morning skates, he'd be the No. 1 star most days on his goals alone. And he celebrates pretty hard for those, too.
Sullivan said he knew what Boyle was capable of offensively from his time coaching Boyle with the Rangers, and they were hopeful he could bring a bit of that to Pittsburgh. So far, he has.
"The fact that he's chipping in offensively, he has five goals to this point is impressive," Sullivan said. "The goal he gets tonight is impressive. He has nice hands around the net. He's a good player at the net front, he has great hand-eye coordination. He gets his stick on a lot of pucks with deflections, and he's so big and strong, you can't move him in that area."
Sullivan also noted that Boyle, being on the fourth-line, isn't exactly deployed in ways that should lead to offensive production, given that they get so many more shift starts in the defensive zone. He said that it's a credit to Boyle and his linemates that they're able to turn those deployments into offensive opportunities.
Letang said that it just felt good to see Boyle score a goal like that not only after everything he's been through earlier in his career, but also after seeing the way he was able to break onto this deep of a team after not playing at all last season.
"He brings a physical aspect," Letang said. "He's been stepping up for his teammates, dropping the glove a few times, setting the tone. It's fun to see that he gets rewarded in a game like tonight. What a beautiful thing."
