CHICAGO -- I want to lose faith in this hockey team.
And look, if I’m being level, I really should.
My goodness, even after these pick-a-mood Penguins put forth their first full effort in a fortnight, a 4-1 flattening of the Blackhawks on this Thursday night at the United Center, I'd wind up walking out of the place wondering what would’ve happened if the resident living legend hadn’t gotten it all going 15 seconds after faceoff:
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPSmedia) February 16, 2024
And if Sidney Crosby's second goal, like his first, hadn't been set up so smartly by Marcus Pettersson, this team's very best non-Sid player over the course of the season:
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPSmedia) February 16, 2024
And, for that matter, if Alex Nedeljkovic, this team's very best addition since last season, hadn't worn his standard work boots here in stopping 27 of 28 Chicago shots:
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPSmedia) February 16, 2024
But hey, they did do those things and a few more, thus allowing them to snap a three-game losing streak, to slide up within five points of the Red Wings for the Eastern Conference's final wild-card spot and, for a couple days, to take a bit of a collective breather.
Coming on the same day they'd all learned Jake Guentzel will miss a month with what's believed to be a broken left wrist, yeah, that seemed OK by them.
It sure was by the captain, based on his replies when I'd asked afterward what he thought of his new line -- Rickard Rakell to the left, Bryan Rust sticking on the right -- and about achieving 30 goals again, having entered this one with 28:
"I thought we generated some good chances," he'd reply of his line. "I mean, when it was 2-0 there in the second, I thought we could have built on it. We had some really good looks, post and a couple of really good looks. They're a dangerous team and they hung around. But I thought that the line, we did some good things. ... I'm just happy to get a win and, obviously, we can build off this. We need the points and ... yeah, however we can get 'em."
Yeah. However they can get 'em.
He'll shrug off the milestones, and he'll mean it. The 30 goals ... it's just his 12th time, now passing Mario Lemieux for the franchise mark. The 406 even-strength goals, also passing Mario here for another franchise mark. The nine career goals within the first 30 seconds of a game, that one passing Hall of Famer Bob Gainey for most in NHL history. Believe me when I say that, unlike some of us, he left this building focused on what's still, in his mind, attainable for this team.
That's who he is. The serial winner. From Detroit to Vancouver to San Jose to Nashville to Sochi, he's always been about the winning first and foremost, well beyond the parts he's always been able to contribute athletically. His end game's always been the same.
He's the reason, my friends. He's it. He's why I can't wholly abandon -- not yet, anyway -- the occasionally preposterous outlook that this team could qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs and maybe even not flame out for the first time in forever. Because, as I see it, the only thing that feels more stupid than losing faith in this team is ... losing faith in Sid.
But let me put it another way: This wasn't an accident.
"It looked to me like he was trying to will it for us," Mike Sullivan would say. "I thought he was locked in from the very first shift. He was strong on pucks all night. His line was a threat most shifts. I thought he brought his game."
Pettersson saw it similarly, saying of Sid, "We've been relying upon him all year, and he never fails, so we're going to keep doing that. When people get hurt like Jake, we're going to need people to step up, and I thought a lot of people stepped up tonight. But we feed off Sid's energy. He was battling all night. It doesn't matter if he scores two or zero. He's just battling. He's such a leader. And whenever he can do that, we can all follow."
Yep. And that's still in play.
These guys know, for the most part, what the general sentiment's become about this team, what's being spoken, what's being written. They know that what once was disappointment, then sunk to doubt, now might best be described as disillusionment. And if they hadn't before, they sure did after a capacity crowd Wednesday at PPG Paints Arena booed them for the bulk of the Panthers' four-goal second period in that 5-2 loss.
But they also know that there's only one voice, one metronome to this process that matters. And for as long as Sid's soaring up ice and nearly pulling off ... wow, just watch:
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPSmedia) February 16, 2024
For as long as that's playing out in front of them, that means he thinks there's still something to be salvaged. Or more.
Anyone care to argue?
Take it up with the one lugging all the rings and medals around.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
• Live file
• Scoreboard
• Standings
• Statistics
• Schedule
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE THREE STARS
As selected at United Center:
1. Sidney Crosby, Penguins C
2. Rickard Rakell, Penguins LW
3. Philipp Kurashev, Blackhawks RW
THE IN-GAME INJURIES
• Penguins: None.
• Blackhawks: Jason Dickinson, second-line center, appeared to hurt his ankle midway through the third period but returned.
THE LINEUPS
Sullivan’s lines and pairings:
Rickard Rakell–Sidney Crosby–Bryan Rust
Reilly Smith–Evgeni Malkin–Drew O'Connor
Valtteri Puustinen–Lars Eller–Jesse Puljujarvi
Jonanthan Gruden–Jeff Carter–Colin White
Marcus Pettersson–Kris Letang
Ryan Graves–Erik Karlsson
John Ludvig–Chad Ruhwedel
And for Luke Richardson's Blackhawks:
Nick Foligno–Connor Bedard–Philipp Kurashev
Tyler Johnson–Jason Dickinson–Joey Anderson
Boris Katchouk–Mac Entwistle–Taylor Raddysh
Colin Blackwell–Zach Sanford–Ryan Donato
Alex Vlasic–Seth Jones
Kevin Korchinski–Jaycob Megna
Jared Tinordi–Louis Crevier
THE SCHEDULE
The Penguins have Friday off, then it's back to practice Saturday, then the next game's Sunday against the Kings at PPG Paints Arena.
THE FEED
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