Sidney Crosby scored a beautiful goal Tuesday by slicing through the Lightning defense and slipping the puck through Andrei Vasilevskiy's legs. It gave the Penguins a three-goal edge, one they almost coughed up late in the final frame, and Crosby his third game-winning goal of the series. A game-winning goal can be inconsequential at times, but in this series at least, Crosby has been there when it matters.
Some have contended that Crosby has not stepped up in these playoffs, that he's not fit to lead a team to a Stanley Cup. That the Penguins have gotten here with the team around Crosby, not thanks to him. But in this series, tied 3-3 and heading back to Pittsburgh for Game 7, Crosby has been there. His play has been miles better than it was against the Rangers or Capitals in the first two rounds of this postseason.
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The Penguins were heavily favored to win this series, but it has been a trying one. A bounce (for either team) in a different direction and this series could be over. That's what tends to happen in a battle of this nature — one team should have won a particular game, the other team another — and it winds up being settled in Game 7.
Crosby scored in overtime in Game 2 to keep Tampa Bay from going up 2-0 in the series. He put the Penguins up 3-1 in the third period of Game 3, then Pittsburgh went up 4-1 before the Lightning closed the gap to two with a late goal. The "game-winning" aspect can be unimportant, but the fact that each has come in the third period or overtime isn't.
Pittsburgh can win Game 7 without Crosby scoring a goal. But if this narrative of Crosby disappearing during crunch time is going to be destroyed, he may as well put another game-winner on the board.