Crosby not only contributor to Penguins' streak
-
Penguins forward Pascal Dupuis on teammate Sidney Crosby: "We know he's going to be there, night after night."
Share with others:
Sidney Crosby has scored 14 goals in the Penguins' past 11 games.
He has assisted on eight others in that stretch.
That mean's he has been averaging two points per game since getting a goal in a 3-1 victory Nov. 17 against Vancouver at Consol Energy Center.
If Crosby, who actually owns a 17-game points streak, stays this hot for much longer, he might spontaneously combust.
Clearly, his work -- not just all those points, but his defensive play and faceoff success and overall excellence -- has been the driving force behind the 11-0 run the Penguins will take into their game Saturday night against Buffalo at HSBC Arena.
"Obviously, Sid's playing well," right winger Tyler Kennedy said Thursday. "Sid's helping us out a lot."
To put Crosby's offensive rampage in perspective, consider that during this winning streak, his teammates have combined for 23 goals, which is just nine more than Crosby.
What's more, he has scored or assisted on 22 of the 37 goals they've scored during regulation in those 11 games. That means he has been involved directly in 59 percent of their offense over that stretch.
Clearly, it would be nearly impossible to overstate the contribution he has made to the Penguins' success of late.
"That's as well as any player I've played with on any team has played," right winger Pascal Dupuis said. "It's not only the point streak. He's been playing unbelievably, on both sides of the puck."
At the same time, it would be folly to ignore the reality that this streak has not been a one-man production, that Crosby's teammates have chipped in with more than moral support the past few weeks.
Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, for example, is on the best roll of his career. He has been in goal for 10 of the 11 victories, recording a .945 save percentage.
Thirteen of Crosby's teammates have scored at least one goal during the streak, and nine have at least two.
And while the power play has failed to generate a goal in four of the past five games and the penalty-killers have allowed one in each of the past four, the Penguins' special teams have come through with some timely work.
"Everyone's playing well," Kennedy said. "Everyone's helping out and doing the right things to win hockey games."
First Published December 10, 2010 12:00 am
