Comeback City: Sidney Crosby Leads Penguins For Seventh Straight Win

It looked like the Phoenix game all over again.

Johnson in net and Bourque was in for Godard.  The team thought it would be cool to coast through the first half of the game.  Johnson was letting some pucks slip by despite his solid presence between the pipes. 

The only difference was a lack of Gonchar.

...and a player named Sidney Crosby.

This was his 300th game in the NHL so it only made sense that his play would be that much more special than it already is.

Crosby scored three different ways in the third period:  power play, shorthanded (his first ever) and shootout.

At least Pens fans knew that Crosby's goal in the shootout didn't warrant a showering of hats.

It was a very lackluster beginning.  If I didn't know any better, I would have assumed the team attached weights to their skates for the added challenge.  The skating was slow and there was absolutely no fore-check.

But as per usual, the Pens managed to remember Bylsma's system near the end of the second period, giving them just enough time to turn around their game before the final horn.

The Panthers were doing some kind of neutral zone trap that forced the Pens to play way more defense than they're used to playing.  This created some laziness in the defense, leaving Johnson alone to protect the net.

Johnson was the only reason the score wasn't 4-0 or 5-0 going into the third. 

Some of his saves were simply unreal.

I do want to point out that Martin Skoula, a defensive defenseman taking Gonchar's place, played a very solid yet unnoticeable game.  He wasn't spectacular but he was making smart decisions that eliminated odd man rushes with the swipe of his stick.

He may not be Gonchar, but he was just the man the doctor ordered when the Pens were in a lot of defensive trouble.

Also, Chris Bourque who was acquired at the beginning of the season from the Hershey Bears (no, not to annoy Caps fans), seemed to be the only player who came to play early in the game.  He tried to get things going with some physicality.  Of course, he saw less playing time as the game wore on.

Namely because Crosby and Malkin woke up from whatever trance they were in.

Malkin's diving play kept the puck alive in the first five on three in the third which resulted in Crosby's first of the game.  I want to note that this shot was a one-timer.

This ought to teach Crosby that he can one-time it in the power play, something he tends to not do despite having the clear shot.

When the Pens went shorthanded with five minutes left in the game and a goal down, I thought the game was over. 

Ironically enough, I told myself that the Pens needed to score shorthanded to win this game.

Bylsma brilliantly put both Crosby and Malkin on the killfor that very reason.

Malkin, who has finally found his back-check, stole the puck along the boards and carried it down and around Vokoun while three Panthers lazily back-checked and stupidly left Crosby open.

When Crosby's that close and the game is on the line, he won't miss.

I'm not sure what happened the first half of the game.  Maybe the Pens weren't used to being defended so heavily in the neutral zone.  Maybe the loss of Gonchar affected them more than the team let on.

The thing is that they can't depend on Johnson or Fleury to save them in the way they did last night, especially tonight against the Devils and ultimately the firepower of Parise, Zajac and Langenbrunner.

With that said, I hope Gonchar gets better soon. 

The power play was a mess without him.

One thing the team can do that would make the power play less painful is to take that one-timer like I mentioned before. So many times, the shot is there, yet no one wants to pull the trigger for whatever reason.

Goligoski also needs some confidence so he can rip it from the point.  Poor Malkin was only hitting glass but I know Goligoski can hit net as he successfully took Gonchar's place (but did not replace him) last year for half the season.

The important thing is that players like Skoula, Rupp, and Kennedy continue to do the little things that keep the play smart.  Add that with a solid play in net from Fleury and offensive attack that is relentless in its fore-check, and then Pens should fare well against the Devils.

As for now, the Pens' 9-1 record now tops the NHL's all time best ten game start for a Cup Champion team.

Well done, boys.