There was a time when Sidney Crosby was the centerpiece in any discussion about the world's finest hockey player.
A long time.
And even though younger guys like Connor McDavid and Auston Mathews seem to figure more prominently in many of those conversations than Crosby does these days, he still is capable of lifting his game -- and his team -- in a way few others can.
Which Crosby proved again.
The Penguins were coming off a miserable third period during their 7-6 victory over the Devils at PPG Paints Arena Tuesday night, when the Devils outscored them, 6-1, during those final 20 minutes. It was the kind of lapse they cannot afford to repeat if they hope to continue challenging for first place in the East Division.
And Crosby made it clear during the first 41 seconds of what became a 5-1 victory against the Devils Thursday night that he had no interest in taking part in a sequel to what had transpired 48 hours earlier.
"Coming off the last game, we weren't happy with our third period, obviously," he said. "I think we just wanted to have a good start, get in the right frame of mind."
They did, in large part because of him.
In those first 41 seconds, Crosby won the opening faceoff, put a big hit on New Jersey defenseman Ryan Murray, helped his line sustain ferocious pressure in the Devils' end and, finally, swiped the puck from Devils forward Pavel Zacha before throwing a shot past goalie Aaron Dell from above the left dot to put the Penguins up, 1-0.
"I just think he was trying to make a huge statement to our team that we're going to respond the right way, and that we weren't overly satisfied with the game before, even though we won," Mike Sullivan said.
The message got through to his teammates.
"He set the tone," Teddy Blueger said.
And, in the process, Crosby helped the Penguins climb into a tie with the New York Islanders for second place in the East, one point behind Washington.
Winning the division would guarantee the Penguins home-ice advantage for at least the first two rounds of the playoffs, although Crosby cautioned against losing focus on more immediate objectives.
"We're right there," he said. "I don't think we want to look too far ahead, though. We're just taking it a game at a time. The important thing is to win games, to get points. ... We're trying to make sure we play here well and see where that takes us."
Actually, Crosby figures to play a leading role in taking the Penguins however far they get this spring.
Which should be pretty encouraging for them, because hockey has few difference-makers who are his equal.
Crosby is, as usual, the Penguins' leading scorer, with 54 points in 46 games, and has been so strong defensively that he is viewed as a legitimate Selke Trophy candidate.
"He's quietly had a real strong year for us once again, on both sides of the puck," Sullivan said. "We just rely on him in so many situations.
"His overall game, for me, is as good as it's ever been. He's dynamic, offensively. He's so good, defensively. He makes the players around him better. He makes Jake (Guentzel) a better player. He makes (Bryan Rust) a better player. There's just nothing we can ask him to do that he doesn't embrace."
The Devils countered Crosby's goal with one by defenseman Matt Tennyson, the only one of 31 shots the Devils threw at goalie Tristan Jarry that got by him.
That tie didn't last long, however, because a little more than five minutes later, Cody Ceci put the Penguins in front to stay by beating Dell with a snap shot from just inside the blue line to stretch his scoring streak to five games.
The goal was Ceci's first game-winner of 2020-21, but hardly his only significant contribution to the Penguins.
He was viewed by many outside the organization as a reclamation project -- or worse -- when he was signed as a free agent after he'd spent a forgettable year in Toronto, but after a few early-season hiccups, he's burnished his credentials as a capable two-way player.
"We felt strongly that Cody could really fit into our defense corps here and be a solid player for us," Sullivan said. "I don't know if he's exceeding expectations, but what I will say is that he's playing extremely well.
"I think he's improved from training camp in so many different ways. ... He really has fit in nicely with our overall group of defensemen. We were hopeful that in a new environment he would potentially have an opportunity to thrive, and that's what he's done."
And that's also what the Penguins did during a span of three minutes, 56 seconds during the middle period, when they got goals from Rust, Kasperi Kapanen and Blueger to take a comfortable four-goal lead.
Or what would have been a comfortable lead if they hadn't nearly squandered a six-goal advantage just a couple of days earlier.
This time, though, New Jersey couldn't get anything past Jarry in the third, even though the Devils ran up an 11-4 edge in shots, several of which were quality scoring chances.
So while the Penguins didn't replicate their defensive collapse of Tuesday, neither did they neutralize the Devils' offense the way they might have hoped.
"I thought we managed the puck better," Blueger said. "I thought the play (along the boards) was pretty good in the third. They did have a couple of good chances -- obviously, (Jarry) made some big saves -- but I thought that for the most part, we were (pretty good). Especially compared to the last game."
JOE SARGENT / GETTY
Tristan Jarry collects a loose puck, as he and Cody Ceci fend off the Devils' Michael McLeod and Andreas Johnsson in the second period.
MORE FROM THE GAME
• The Penguins' victory, coupled with the Rangers' 3-2 loss to the Flyers, dropped their magic number for clinching a playoff berth to eight.
• New Jersey winger Nathan Bastian, who dropped Kris Letang in the neutral zone with a big hit late in the second period Tuesday, was credited with a game-high eight hits.
• Tennyson's goal was his first in 105 games. He had not scored in the NHL since Dec. 5, 2015.
THE ESSENTIALS
THE THREE STARS
As selected at PPG Paints Arena:
1. Kasperi Kapanen, Penguins
2. Teddy Blueger, Penguins
3. Bryan Rust, Penguins
THE INJURIES
• Center Evgeni Malkin is week-to-week because of an unspecified lower-body injury sustained March 16.
• Winger Brandon Tanev is week-to-week with an unspecified upper-body injury sustained April 3.
• Forward Frederick Gaudreau is week-to-week with an unspecified lower-body injury sustained on April 11
THE LINEUPS
Sullivan’s lines and pairings:
Jake Guentzel-Sidney Crosby-Bryan Rust
Jared McCann-Jeff Carter-Jason Zucker
Zach Aston-Reese-Teddy Blueger-Evan Rodrigues
Colton Sceviour-Mark Jankowski-Kasperi Kapanen
Brian Dumoulin-Kris Letang
Mike Matheson-Cody Ceci
Marcus Pettersson-John Marino
And for Lindy Ruff's Devils:
Janne Kuokkanen-Jack Hughes-Yegor Sharangovich
Pavel Zacha-Nico Hischier-Nathan Bastian
Miles Wood-Michael McLeod-Jesper Bratt
Andreas Johnsson-Jesper Boqvist-Nicholas Merkley
Ryan Murray-Matt Tennyson
Jason Siegenthaler-Damon Severson
Will Butcher-Connor Carrick
THE SCHEDULE
The Penguins will practice Friday at noon at PPG Paints Arena before facing the Devils Saturday at 12:38 p.m. at PPG Paints Arena.
THE CONTENT
Visit our team page for everything.