Sidney Crosby had gone eight games without scoring in the Stanley Cup Playoffs before Monday’s Game 2 against the Lightning in the Eastern Conference Final. However, he certainly chose an opportune time to snap that streak.
The Pittsburgh Penguins captain scored just 40 seconds into overtime, giving his team the win and pulling the series even at one game each. The goal was a beautiful one, too, as Crosby one-timed a pass from teammate Bryan Rust to beat Tampa goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy via the top corner.
That’s a very pretty goal, and also a very important one for Pittsburgh as they prepare to head into Tampa for the next few games.
Ironically enough, it came after NBC’s Jeremy Roenick questioned Crosby’s work ethic during the second intermission. Roenick compared Crosby’s effort to that of Jonathan Drouin, the Lightning rookie who went through a bunch of drama with his team’s front office this season.
It’s a stretch to think the two are in any way related, but Penguins fans have to hope that the huge tally — and maybe some extra unnecessary motivation from Roenick — helps Crosby snap out of his scoring funk and get back to being a dominant offensive force throughout the remainder of the series.
