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Sidney Crosby Finally Waking Up for Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins are finally getting solid production out of Sidney Crosby.

Nick Horwat

Oct 31, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) scores the game winning goal against Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal (1) in overtime at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Oct 31, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) scores the game winning goal against Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal (1) in overtime at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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The Pittsburgh Penguins have not been even slightly happy with the start of their 2024-25 season. Heading into a Halloween matchup with the Anaheim Ducks, the Penguins were 3-7-1, riding a six-game losing streak, and not getting anywhere near the right production from their star players.

Goalie Tristan Jarry was sent to the American Hockey League to work on his game, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson have been terrible, and Penguins captain Sidney Crosby hadn’t looked at all like himself. At least one of those things changed in the Penguins’ last two outings.

With three assists against the Minnesota Wild and a pair of goals against the Ducks, Crosby seems to be all the way back to normal.

Especially against the Ducks, where Crosby’s two goals were the only ones scored by the Penguins, one of them being the overtime winner.

Crosby’s first goal came while the Penguins were losing 1-0 early in the third period. A Matt Grzelcyk shot from the points was perfectly deflected by Crosby through Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal.

That 1-1 score would hold into overtime when Crosby put the game on ice. A giveaway from rookie Cutter Gauthier was poked loose by Crosby who then easily settled it for a quick breakaway. He slammed on the breaks and caught Dostal off guard.

Crosby easily flipped the puck into the cage for his 92nd career game-winning goal.

Before an emotional matchup with the Wild, Crosby had just seven points in 10 games played, with only one goal. The Penguins were crumbling around him and he wasn’t doing much to keep the team afloat. He was held scoreless in six of the 10 games.

Maybe it was the sentiment of hosting Marc-Andre Fleury in Pittsburgh for the last time, but something has woken up inside of Crosby and put him back to his usual point-per-game pace.

Three assists against Fleury and the Wild was hopefully just the beginning of a highly productive stretch. Crosby now holds 12 points (3G-9A) in 12 games so far this season.

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Nick Horwat
NICK HORWAT