Crosby brought his ‘A’ game
Penguins rout Predators 6-0 in Game 5 of Stanley Cup final
The problem was never Sidney Crosby. It never is.
No, the reason why the Pittsburgh Penguins had headed into Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final having blown a 2-0 series lead to the Nashville Predators was because of the players surrounding Crosby. He had played great in the back-to-back road losses. The rest of his teammates might not have even been in the same city.
So the fact that Crosby once again showed up and played arguably his best game of the playoffs on Thursday wasn’t necessarily the story in Game 5. It was that, unlike the previous two games, it wasn’t just a one-man show.
The Penguins’ best players were their best players. Heck, their worst players were better than the Predators’ so-called best.
Phil Kessel, who had gone six games without scoring, had a goal and two assists. Evgeni Malkin, who had gone without a shot in Game 3, had a goal and assist. Justin Schultz and Bryan Rust scored their first goals of the series. Even Ron Hainsey scored.
And then there was Matt Murray. The Penguins goalie, who had allowed nine goals combined in the last two games, rebounded in a big way.
The question for the Penguins, which are one win away from repeating as Stanley Cup champions, is whether they can continued that effort on the road in Nashville on Sunday, where they had so much trouble.
But it’s not a question that really concerns Crosby.
Crosby didn’t score in Game 5, but he set up three goals and could have easily had assisted on three more. He was that good, that dominant, and that noticeable every time he was on the ice. He set the tone, both offensively and physically. The rest of the team aptly followed.
With time winding down in the first period, P.K. Subban wrestled Crosby to the ground and grabbed hold of his leg, preventing Crosby from getting up. Crosby didn’t complain. He didn’t wait for a referee to intervene. Instead, he started shoving Subban’s head repeatedly against the ice.
It was a dangerous play from a player who should probably know better based on his own concussion history. But it illustrated the kind of attitude Crosby had brought to what was a pivotal Game 5.
With eight goals and 27 points, Crosby isn’t leading the playoffs in scoring. But, just as he did during last year playoffs, he’s been leading the team. Another game like this and he won’t just win a second straight Stanley Cup, but he could also walk away with another Conn Smythe Trophy.
Prior to the game, a Predators fan tossed a catfish onto the ice. But once the game started, the ice belonged to the Penguins. Or rather, it belonged to the Penguins captain.
On his first shift, Crosby split Nashville’s defence and rang a shot off the post, drawing a holding penalty in the process. Pittsburgh then scored on the ensuing power play, with Schultz one-timing a pass from Crosby that seemed to redirect off a Nashville player’s stick on its way in.
If Crosby brought his ‘A’ game, Pekka Rinne once again brought his road game. The Predators goalie, who gave up only two goals in two games in Nashville, gave up two goals in his first six minutes. After the third goal went by him to end the period, his night was over.
Rinne, who had also been pulled in Game 2 and has a .755 save percentage in the three Pittsburgh games, was replaced by Juuse Saros to start the second period. Expect Rinne to be back in net for Game 6 in Nashville. If it goes to a Game 7, however, the Predators might have a more difficult decision on their hands.
Not that anyone could have stopped Crosby and company on Thursday night.
On the fourth goal, Crosby wheeled behind the net and found Conor Sheary with a backhand pass. The Penguins kept attacking, with Kessel whipping a shot past Saros for his eighth goal of the playoffs that Crosby assisted on. Even Hainsey got into the action, scoring his first goal since the first round.
This was a different Pittsburgh team than we had seen in the series — and that included the wins in Games 1 and 2. The Penguins played fast and with a purpose. The defence, which had been the team’s biggest weak spot in the series, moved the puck with ease and efficiency.
It was as if after watching the Predators for four games, the Penguins were finally able to finally figure out their opponent’s weak spot. Of course, the biggest weak spot right now is that Pittsburgh has Crosby and Nashville has no answer for it.