As our by the numbers series concludes, we saved the best for last. In a season filled with injuries, the Pittsburgh Penguins Captain still gave his best.
Sidney Crosby missed 28 games this season with a sports-related hernia. Still, he finished the season with the 3rd most points for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Not bad considering he was primarily dealing with it from training camp. Taking that injury into the regular season only worsened it, making life difficult from the start.
In Sid’s 41 games played, he tallied up 16 goals and 31 assists. The perfect Mike Sullivan expression used for him is his ability to perform in a high-skates environment. Crosby has shown that time and time again, as even into his mid-30s, he is still outshining the younger talent in the NHL. He is aging, but he’s’ certainly not done yet.
Two things remain true when it comes to Sidney Crosby and his on the ice abilities. Firstly, he always remains 100% capable of fronting the load when it comes to taking the blame. After a three-game losing streak on the road, he took that entirely on him, not stepping up. What good is it to have a leader if they don’t lead from the front in at all times?
Pittsburgh Penguins by the numbers: Sidney Crosby
Additionally, with that, he remains the best at team chemistry and making others around him perform at their highest. Look no further than Jake Guentzel. Before Jake got knocked out for the season, he and Sid were collectively growing off of one another. Jake certainly got better from Sid’s presence, but he also boosted the aging captain’s skills around the pipes.
If you had to pick out one negative for Sid’s season, it would be his +/- numbers. He had a -8 this season, and that was the first time since his rookie season that those numbers were that low. You could contribute that to Sid’s lack of tracking back, but that’s just not true. At times the Penguins defense was lackluster, and in turn, everyone took a hit in the +/- category.
This season may have been a bit of an odd one for the skipper, but Sidney Crosby still managed to be towards the top once more. When the playoffs resume, the only question will be who’s next to him? Jake and Conor Sheary? Or will Jason Zucker still be a top contender? Sid will be 38 when his contract ends, giving us a more valuable question; is he human? Or will we see him bounce back?