Surge in Game 2 Shows Sidney Crosby Is Capable of Carrying Penguins Past Rangers

NEW YORK — Oh right. Sidney Crosby is the best hockey player in the world.

A year ago, Crosby was quietly hampered by a wrist injury, which was a contributing factor in his being held to one goal in 13 postseason games in 2014. That includes one goal in a second-round seven-game loss to the New York Rangers that cost his coach and general manager their jobs.

That, along with his absentee performance Thursday in Game 1, inevitably led to the always popular, always idiotic takes that wondered if something was wrong with Crosby and if he was the problem with the Penguins.

On Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, Crosby tossed his injury-riddled, underdog team on his back for five minutes, and it was exactly what the Penguins needed to beat the Rangers, 4-3, and pull themselves into a 1-1 tie in this best-of-seven series.

Crosby doubled his 2014 postseason goal total during a second-period flash, turning a 1-1 tie into a 3-1 lead the Penguins would not relinquish.

It was vintage Crosby at a time the Penguins were desperately clinging to hope.

"This team is built around him," teammate Ben Lovejoy said afterward. "He wasn't satisfied with his effort or the team's effort in Game 1. He came out and threw us on his shoulders. He took over the game."

For the Penguins to bounce back from a Game 1 loss, they had to cut down on the five penalties they took, get a more complete game from Marc-Andre Fleury and have Crosby rise to the occasion after he attempted only three shots in a lackluster effort.

Two out of three ain't bad—the Penguins were short-handed seven times and still won.

Fleury was steady enough, stopping 23 of 26 shots, a stat line that would've looked more impressive if not for Rick Nash's goal in the final seconds.

But it was Crosby more than anything or anyone else who made the difference in Game 2. He drove the net for a rebound goal to put the Penguins ahead 2-1. Then he went to the net again, this time scoring a highlight-reel goal after a silky-smooth pass from Chris Kunitz, whose goal and two assists shouldn't go unnoticed. 

It was Crosby's first two-goal playoff game since the second round in 2013, which is hardly an eternity for most players. But when you're the best player in the world—which Crosby still is, despite what you may hear from people who need to drum up page views and TV ratings—that's an eternity.

If the Penguins are going to win this series, especially without Kris Letang and maybe Christian Ehrhoff, this is the Crosby who has to show up.

"When he does have a game where he doesn't have any points, everyone is like, 'Oh my God, what's going on?'" defenseman Ian Cole said. "But you know what? That's hockey. Then he bounces back with an unbelievable game like tonight and shows why he's arguably the best player in the world.

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"He's our captain. We're following his example. We're following his lead. He's a lead-by-example kind of guy. You see him working his tail off every single game. Whether or not he gets a goal every game, that's besides the point. He does so many things right all over the ice, that he really sets the tone for our team."

All due respect to Cole, but the Penguins need more than a tone-setter against the Rangers—they need the goals from Crosby more than anything.

What Crosby also did in Game 2 was give the Penguins a belief they can take four out of seven from the Rangers. Maybe they believed it three days ago, but Rob Scuderi referring to the Penguins as a "fragile" group toward the end of the regular season, per Josh Yohe of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, says differently. 

There was a vague sense of confidence in the Penguins' locker room after Game 1. It was exuding from everyone in the room after Game 2, thanks largely to the best player in the world reminding everyone that he is still the best player in the world.

"Special players like that, they always find a way to do something nice like tonight," Maxim Lapierre said. "Sid always comes to the rink and works hard, and he doesn't listen to what's being said about him or complaints about him. He's a professional, he works hard, he doesn't say a word, and when it's time to do something big like tonight, he does it."

Crosby can be a difference-maker, the rare player who can win a game or even a playoff series on his own, and he showed that Saturday in New York.

Then again, maybe the Penguins want to avoid spending one-sixth of every game short-handed. Crosby isn't a miracle worker, after all.

All statistics via NHL.com. Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick.

Dave Lozo covers the NHL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter: @DaveLozo.