Sidney Crosby Makes His Feelings Known After Heavy Back-to-Back Losses
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The magical run at the 4 Nations is over for Sidney Crosby, and he's back to reality with his struggling Pittsburgh Penguins, where he made his feelings known.
Sidney Crosby saw over 23 minutes of ice time, the best among forwards in his team's most recent game.
He registered a game-leading five shots on goal in Sunday afternoon's contest against the New York Rangers, and there was no indication of the upper-body problem that limited him at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
"Nah," he said. "I actually felt pretty good today."
- Sidney Crosby
- Sidney Crosby
Crosby might have been the most dominant skater on the ice, pummeling and pummeling the Rangers, forcing turnovers, and creating offense. And his effort still wasn't enough as the Pens fell 5-3, their second loss in consecutive days.
"Sometimes when you keep going, you just don't stop working, you keep going, I think maybe it's better," Crosby said. "Maybe at some point, I'll start feeling it. But I'm feeling pretty good right now, honestly. I'm just happy to be back here, to keep going now with the season, get back in the swing of things here."
If playoff aspirations already were on life support before the weekend, they are now but a distant memory. The Penguins lag behind Detroit by nine points and Ottawa by seven for the final Eastern Conference playoff spots, each with two games in hand.
"I think we played well today," Crosby said. "We were so close on a few. He's a great goalie but it's still our job to find ways to score. We just didn't do it enough today."
A trip to the playoffs isn't happening this season for the Pens
A trip to the playoffs isn't likely, and Crosby, a man who thrives on meaningful spring hockey, is aware of that. As reality sets in, the Penguins have to shift into gear. Time to be sellers on trade deadline day, as the continued losses are inexcusable.
Holding onto veterans for a desperate shot at an unattainable playoff spot would be shortsighted. Pittsburgh would do better to trade aging players, gain some future assets, and start rebuilding for the future.
This Penguins era is on its way out, and the front office must understand that before the deadline hits. Crosby battered and was relentless, and continues to push on. But this team is not going anywhere, and it is time to start looking down the road.
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