‘Canes Top Crosby (oh…and Penguins too), 4-2
During our ill-fated 1975 playoff series against the Islanders, a potent Penguins team mysteriously stopped scoring. In an effort to shake his snipers out of the doldrums, coach Marc Boileau devoted an entire practice to shooting pucks into an empty net.
Sadly, the tactic didn’t work. The Pens lost Game 7, 1-0, in the process becoming the second team in NHL history to blow a 3-0 series lead. Greasing the skid into receivership and threatening the very survival of the franchise. But I digress.
While the consequences for our current bunch aren’t that dire, our ability to qualify for the playoffs depends a great deal on somebody…anybody…not named Sidney Crosby or Bryan Rust finding the back of the net once in a while. Last night it’s was Sid’s turn to play one-man band, notching both black-and-gold goals during a 4-2 loss at Carolina.
Even the heretofore red-hot combination of Evgeni Malkin and Reilly Smith has cooled. With a goal and three helpers in his last six games, Geno’s been merely mortal following a blazing start to the season. Smith is goalless in six games with a lone assist since his four-point explosion against the Sharks.