The captain’s having a good year!
For the second week in a row (and third time within the last month), Sidney Crosby has won a weekly NHL honor for being one of the stars of the league.
From a NHL release:
THIRD STAR – SIDNEY CROSBY, C, PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
Crosby tied for the League lead in scoring last week with eight points (3-5—8 in 3 GP) as the Penguins (34-22-9, 77 points) gained five of a possible six points to hold the first Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference. Crosby opened the week by notching one goal and one assist in a 5-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Feb. 26. On March 1, he recorded one goal and one assist in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres. Crosby finished the week with one goal and three assists in a 5-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on March 2. In doing so, Crosby passed Alex Ovechkin to move into 48th on the NHL’s all-time points list. The 31-year-old native of Cole Harbour, N.S., ranks tied for fourth in the NHL with 29-54—83 in 62 games this season.
And, hey, look who is number 1 this week!
Your @Molson_Canadian Three Stars of the Week:
— NHL (@NHL) March 4, 2019
⭐ Marc-Andre Fleury: 3-0-0, 0.33 GAA, .987 SV%, 2 SO
⭐⭐ @BiggieFunke: 5-3—8 in 3 GP (1 GWG, 4 goals at CBJ)
⭐⭐⭐ Sidney Crosby: 3-5—8 in 3 GP pic.twitter.com/meUsGce55Y
Also, what a weird season Marc-Andre Fleury is having. One the positive side he has a league-high eight shutouts, and a league-high 32 wins (also his 56 starts are most in the NHL so far). But he also has a whopping 15 games with under a .890 save%, per our buddy Adam Gretz. Fleury’s quality start percentage (55.4%) this season is barely among the top-half of his career. But when he’s on, he’s really on.
It also looks more likely than not we’re headed for a first round collision between Vegas and San Jose. Could see either of those teams being a serious contender to come out of the west, but the fact they probably will have to play each other early (barring a massive shift in the standings) is going to make for an entertaining series. Fleury having to face down Brent Burns and company in the very first round would be an incredibly tough challenge, but one fun to watch as an observer.
