Friday (Unassisted)- Crosby's back...again

I will tell you the news whether or not you've already heard it: Sidney Crosby will make his return to the ice Thursday night against the New York Rangers after a lengthy bout with post concussion symptoms. He joins a Penguins team that has strung together nine straight wins, sits fourth in the Eastern Conference, and has the aforementioned first place Rangers nervously inching towards the finish line with an eye on the rearview mirror. The Penguins' success so far is a testament to their tremendous depth. Marc-Andre Fleury has been a rock in net. Their d-core has been steady even without Norris-caliber Kris Letang for long stretches of time. James Neal has been a revelation up front, and Evgeni Malkin has been nothing short of a maestro, rendering the Art Ross and Hart races moot points. With a healthy Crosby, look out National Hockey League.
 
With the "When Healthy, Best Player in the world" in the lineup the Penguins change from contenders to favorites. The Rangers certainly have reason to boast- they've been splendid this year, playing the kind of hockey that wins in the playoffs: balanced scoring, gritty checking, consistent defensive play, and world class goaltending. Henrik Lundqvist has already prepared his Vezina speech. The Penguins are a matchup nightmare however. Six foot four Jordan Staal plays and scores in all three situations (even strength, power play, and shorthanded), and he happily shuts down the opposing team's best forward. Claude Giroux should invite Jordan to his house for awhile if only to get used to the Thuder Bay native's ever-presence should a first round series come to fruition. On second thought, Zach Parise and even Alex Ovechkin should prepare similarly just in case. On most teams, Staal would center the first line. With a healthy Crosby, he plays third line for the Penguins. Let's play "if the season ended right now." The Penguins would host a first round series against the Flyers. When possible, the Flyers would matchup their big pair of Nicklas Grossmann and Brayden Coburn against the formidable Malkin. Timonen and whomever he's paired with would likely take Crosby. Even if the Flyers' d-men limit the Pens attack (2 or 3 goals given their attacking prowess), they will surely spend the majority of the game in their defensive zone. And we haven't even brought up Staal yet, whose size and puck possession ability saps minutes from opposing defensemen. In the Flyers case, the time spent in the d-zone will severely limit the effectiveness of Claude Giroux (ditto for the easily frustrated Ovechkin), an effect we've already seen recently with the absence of the puck moving Timonen and the Slovak Andrej Meszaros.

In truth, the only team that could matchup with Pittsburgh is the team they're chasing. In Ryan McDonugh and Dan Girardi, and Marc Staal and Michael Del Zotto, the Rangers have two mobile, shut down pairs that could stifle the Penguins attack while stimulating their own. Captain Ryan Callahan's gritty two-way game suits playoff hockey perfectly. Big signing Brad Richards has a Stanley Cup as well as a Conn Smythe trophy on his resume. Marian Gaborik scores in droves when he's playing well. Not surprisingly, the Pens and Rangers have split their season series thus far, each winning two with Crosby playing in one game, a 4-3 Rangers win. Conveniently enough, the rubber match (though not really, the teams will play once more in early April) comes in Sidney Crosby's return this Thursday. At the least, the winner will grab control of the Atlantic Division and as a result the Eastern Conference, at the most they will assert themselves as cup favorites.

We should note at this point that Crosby's success, nor his health, is not guaranteed. Although his abbreviated return yielded  twelve points in only eight games, one hit could end Crosby's season. It doesn't help that that his next two opponents are arguably the Penguins two biggest rivals. The Rangers and Flyers both physical games with an emphasis on finishing checks. Then again, he'll face similar challenges come playoff time and as long as hitting exists in hockey every game poses a threat. On the other hand, Crosby has been seemingly more careful this time around, and he's more rested than he's ever been as a professional. That is a scary notion for all teams.


-Dillon Friday