Oct. 17, 2017 vs New York Rangers
Let’s talk about the setting for this goal. The Pittsburgh Penguins are down one, and playing with six skaters on the ice, no goalie.
There is less than one minute on clock. At this point in the game, you’re gripping your stick extra hard, half wanting to be the hero, half just not wanting to make a mistake.
The puck bounces into the hands of Patric Hornqvist, who tries to drop it to his own stick for a quick turning shot. However, Horny whiffs, and the puck bounces to the corner near Crosby.
This is where the brilliance of the play begins. Noting that Hornqvist has touched the puck but wasn’t able to put his own stick on it, Sid avoids wrangling the puck himself. Doing so would have resulted in a hand pass, and a stoppage of play. So he turns his body to establish position on the puck instead. A New York defender puts a stick on the puck, meaning Sid is now able to make a play without punishment. He then flips it towards an unsuspecting Lundqvist, tying the game at four.
The fact he has the sense to NOT touch that puck when he’s that close to goal, when there is less than a minute left in the game, when there are defenders draped all over him – is truly mind bottling. Just listen to Bob Errey get all types of excited at the tail end of the video.
Next: Letang and Crosby named All-Stars
So there we have it. The best Sidney Crosby goals of the young 2107 – 2018 season. Sid may not be side stepping fools anymore:
But he is still putting together highlight reel plays. They just require a little more replay and reflection.