ANAHEIM, CA - NOVEMBER 05: Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins receives high fives from the bench after scoring a goal against the Anaheim Ducks in the third period at the Honda Center on November 5, 2010 in Anaheim, California. The Ducks defeatJeff Gross/Getty Images

Sidney Crosby in Rare Fight: How Did Pittsburgh Penguins Star Do?

Elliott PohnlNov 7, 2010

Sidney Crosby's fight earlier this week proved to be an attempt to spark his struggling Penguins.

Time will tell if it pays off.

Crosby dropped his gloves and threw down on Dallas Stars defenseman Matt Niskanen following a faceoff between Brenden Morrow and Kris Letang on November 3.

The fight didn't last long, but Sid the Kid appeared to get the better of Niskanen.

The Stars ended up posting a 5-2 win over the Pens.

Here's a closer look at Wednesday's fight.

Crosby vs. Niskanen (VIDEO)

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Crosby landed some nice shots on Niskanen, leading with his left and knocking his opponent to the ground before throwing punches with his right.

Unofficially, Wednesday's unlikely outburst is believed to be Crosby's fifth-career fight.

Why Did He Do It?

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Christian Petersen/Getty Images

GLENDALE, AZ - NOVEMBER 06: Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates with the puck during the NHL game against the Phoenix Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena on November 6, 2010 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Nobody really knows why Crosby went off on Niskanen Wednesday night.

The Stars were leading 4-1, and the defenseman maintains he didn't do anything to provoke the fight.

Pittsburgh was frustrated all night and clearly needed a spark, so Crosby was probably just trying to set the tone for his team.

Crosby said after the game that he was sticking up for teammate Kris Letang, who was targeted by the Stars' winger Brenden Morrow after the faceoff.

Interestingly, Niskanen admitted Crosby got the better of him in the fight, but chalked it up to the element of surprise.