It's always about what the depth brings to the table, right?
It took until Game 3 of the Penguins' first-round Stanley Cup Playoffs tilt with the Rangers for anyone not named Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel, Evgeni Malkin or Bryan Rust to find the back of the net. And when it happened, the dam broke, with Evan Rodrigues, Jeff Carter, Brock McGinn and Danton Heinen accounting for 6 of the Penguins' 7 goals Saturday night.
Yet, on a night where those depth players shined, it was Crosby paving the way. Same as it ever was. Same as it will continue to be ... at least for another season.
No, Crosby didn't find the back of the net, or even pick up either of his assists with a goaltender in the net, but his ever-present will to win and play the game the right way, as Mike Sullivan likes to say, was on full display during the third period.
By Crosby's standards, his performance in the first two periods was unremarkable. He wasn't playing poorly. But with the game knotted at 4 headed into the final period of regulation, Crosby took control and produced one of the best periods he has played, perhaps all season.
"A lot of teams, when you give up a three-goal lead and allow a team back into the game in the fashion that we did, in a lot of those instances teams don't recover from that," Sullivan said, leading into his praise that couldn't be mistaken for anyone other than his captain. "I think it speaks volumes to the character of the group and the leadership that we have."
That's not to suggest Crosby is the only Penguin with character or leadership attributes. That is to suggest it all starts at the top with Crosby and the tone -- scratch that -- the expectation he sets for himself and his teammates.
Here's a look at all of the unblocked shot attempts the Rangers took with Crosby on the ice at five-on-five, scaled to their expected goal value:
Evolving-Hockey
Green squares are shots on goal. Orange squares are attempts that missed the net.
Seems like a pretty big deal that the Rangers didn't get a single look anywhere inside the faceoff dots and below the top of the circles with Crosby out there.
There are at least several instances per game where Crosby takes a certain route, and you wonder where the heck he's going, only for the puck to end up right on his blade just a moment later. It's one of many subtleties in his game that help produce defensive results like you see above:
Crosby recognizing that Rodrigues was going low to support and using it as an opportunity to get going up ice is just one of several things to love about that sequence. Forget that the puck didn't end up in the net, and just think about how insanely well he positioned himself to receive the breakout pass in an optimal spot. He didn't sacrifice his momentum at all to do so, and because of his body positioning, he was able to swiftly move the puck to John Marino as soon as the Rangers' defense stepped up on him attempting to keep the puck in the zone.
That was followed by Crosby eventually getting right to the front of the net for a couple of prime chances that were steered aside. He got the puck back anyway and staved off Kevin Rooney with his incredible lower-body strength and puck-protection skills.
Unfortunately for the Rangers, that was only the start of Crosby working them to death behind the net in the third period:
In the words of the great Herb Brooks: AGAIN!
Before receiving the pass along the boards, Crosby was sure to turn his back to K'Andre Miller, who is no slouch defensively, to create separation and ultimately more room to work with the puck once it got to him. If Crosby had kept his chest toward the direction of the puck, Miller could have easily gained inside positioning and interrupted the pass. It's what happens to Kasperi Kapanen with maddening regularity.
The pass reception doesn't even compare to that magnificent edgework, though. The man is 34 years old! And he's still out here turning on a dime like it's nothing. There might be one other player on this planet that can cut back and forth so quickly on their edges while maintaining so much momentum ... with a defender attempting to drape all over them. At risk of sounding like a gatekeeper, it's one of those things that you can't appreciate to the fullest extent unless you've skated or played hockey before. It's just not normal, at all.
Keep in mind, that was with a one-goal lead with just over five minutes remaining in the game. There will be no laying off the gas pedal on Crosby's watch.
"When you have that energy and a certain mindset, you're able to get pucks into the offensive-zone down below the goal line," Sullivan said of his team, but also largely referring to No. 87 and the expectation he sets. "It gives you an opportunity to dictate the terms a little bit and establish the game you want to play."
The game Crosby wants to play is exactly that: grinding you down behind the net until he can slip a pass to the backdoor or slot, or even set up a one-timer for a defenseman shrinking the zone.
Patrik Nemeth learned, or was probably reminded, that completely wrapping yourself around Crosby's midsection still isn't enough to get him off the puck:
I'm not exactly sure what Nemeth was doing on the ice in the final minutes of a one-goal game. Crosby manhandling him serves as punishment for the decision to have him out there.
And really, how could you not have a fire lit within you when your leader is making defensive plays in the neutral-zone with the game on the line like this:
To cap off his outstanding period, Crosby registered what might go down as the greatest empty-net assist of all-time. Seriously:
A between-the-legs, one-touch saucer pass directly to the blade of his target. Are you kidding me?
You don't need to be reminded that Crosby is still great, if not what he was a decade ago, or that he's one of the greatest players ever. But you do need to be reminded to appreciate his greatness. We've become so used to his excellence that it's just business as usual. There will be a time, somewhat soon, that plays like that and performances like his third period are a permanent thing of the past. Suddenly we'd all do anything to experience it just one more time.
The depth scoring showing up was vital to the Penguins taking Game 3, but don't forget that Crosby is the one driving the boat every time the Penguins step onto the ice whether he finds his way to the scoresheet or not.
