Blackhawks Daily: Sidney Crosby Is Putting Penguins On His Back

Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks grew up idolizing Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins. That is true for a lot of hockey fans who grew up while Crosby was in the early stages of his career.

In 2023-24, it is only fitting that Sidney Crosby puts the Pittsburgh Penguins on his back as he tries to drag them into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They sold the top trade asset at this year’s deadline when they sent Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes and it seemed to be over there.

Now, it is hard to see the Penguins slowing down at all. They won a big game over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night who are one of the teams fighting with them to get in. Regulation was back and forth but a Lucas Raymond hat trick goal allowed the Red Wings to get the game tied at 5 before overtime.

When the extra frame hit, Sidney Crosby set up Erik Karlsson for the overtime winner. They are now sitting in the second Wild Card spot of the Eastern Conference with 86 points.

Crosby finished the game with one goal and two assists for three points. He now has 89 points on the season at 36 years old. During the game, Crosby earned the 1000th assist of his NHL career and also became the league’s 10th all-time leading scorer all by himself.

Although some crazy numbers are being put up by Connor McDavid, Nikita Kucherov, Nathan MacKinnon, and Auston Matthews this season, Crosby should be in the Hart Trophy conversation. It is hard to argue against him for being the most valuable player to his team.

The Penguins have to do what they can to hang on over the final handful of games. They pretty much need to be perfect and Crosby is the guy you want to have in front on that quest.

Blackhawks In Case You Missed It

• The Chicago Blackhawks called up Ethan Del Mastro. He is going to have a little taste of the NHL before the season is over which is amazing for him.
• The Frozen Four is now through the semifinals. There is only one Chicago Blackhawks prospect remaining in the tournament.
• Philipp Kurashev is going to be a big part of the Chicago Blackhawks by the time they are a winning franchise.

Hockey Now Playoff Focus

• Colorado Hockey Now: The Colorado Avalanche should have no debate on who their starting goaltender is going into the playoffs.
• Vegas Hockey Now: The Vegas Golden Knights signed Noah Hanifin to a long-term contract. Now, he will be feeling secure as the team heads towards the playoffs.
• Philadelphia Hockey Now: The Philadelphia Flyers kept their playoff hopes alive with a win over the New York Rangers.