Montreal Canadiens: Covering Sidney Crosby No Easy Task
Sidney Crosby has achieved almost all you can achieve in an NHL career. Except for one thing. A playoff series win against the Montreal Canadiens.
“Welcome to the Crosby show Canada!”
A line that still rings in the ears of most hockey fans whenever the name Sidney Crosby is mentioned, especially for the Montreal Canadiens.
Facing the Habs, his favorite boyhood team, in the team’s first shootout on November 10th, 2005, the then 18-year-old Crosby went in on goaltender Jose Theodore, faking to his forehand before firing a backhand right over the crossbar, resulting in Gord Miller’s now-famous call.
At that time, Crosby had 20 points in 17 games, an impressive start for the 1st overall pick in the 2005 NHL entry draft. He would go on to record 102 points on the season, winning the Calder Trophy, and the rest is history. Crosby’s name and career need no introduction at this point, as he’s made a name for himself as one of the best players in modern NHL history, with 1263 points in 984 games.
With 3 Stanley Cups, 2 Art Ross Trophies, 2 Hart Memorial Trophies, 2 Conn Smythe Trophies, and Olympic Gold, just to name a few, it seems as though Crosby has accomplished all you can accomplish in a professional hockey career, with one exception.
A playoff series win against his boyhood team.
Yes, believe it or not, the Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins have only met in the playoffs twice, and only once with Crosby on the team. Having just come off his 1st Stanley Cup in 2008-09, Crosby and the Penguins were upset in 2009 by an underdog Canadiens team that rode Jaroslav Halak to a magical Conference Finals run. Now, more than ten years on, Crosby and his Penguins teammates have a shot at redemption, in a fashion.
As the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted this NHL season, the league has now put forth a multi-phase return to play plan, which now has a set schedule for when teams will be playing each other. Best-of-three qualifying series will be played to determine the seeding for the rest of the playoffs, and eliminated teams will each get a 12.5 percent chance at the 1st overall pick in this year’s NHL entry draft.
On August 1st, the Montreal Canadiens are set to play their first game against the Penguins in their qualifying series, following a tune-up game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 28th. It will mark the 1st time since that upset win in 2010 that these teams meet each other in the playoffs and will naturally present some newfound challenges for teams that have changed drastically since then.
While the Penguins have been able to keep up a consistent string of success since 2010, managing the unheard feat of back to back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017, the Canadiens have been less fortunate. The team managed a Conference Finals appearance in 2014, but that’s the furthest they’ve gone since then, and have currently missed the playoffs the last two seasons.
At the age of 32, Crosby has shown no signs of slowing down and should be, alongside fellow superstars like Evgeni Malkin, the Montreal Canadiens’ main focus.
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Aside from them, the Penguins have been relying on the surprise performances of depth players like forward Bryan Rust and backup goalie Tristan Jarry, which makes keeping players like Malkin and Crosby under check all the more important.
Phillip Danault has proven himself to be one of the better defensive forwards in the NHL and should be able to take some of the load covering either Crosby, Malkin, or even similar star forwards like Jake Guentzel, but giving him the majority of the load could lead to some issues down the line.
Nick Suzuki might be a first-year player, but he’s a smart player. This may be Nick’s opportunity to step in there. We know how reliable and smart he is as a player, so defensively he’d be able to do the job. (via Claude Julien conference call)
The former 1st round pick of the Vegas Golden Knights surprised many this year by recording 41 points in 71 games this year whilst playing alongside primarily defensive forwards like Nick Cousins. Defensively he’s shown the ability to be a solid player, and to give him a shot in a ‘what do we have to lose’ scenario, could work, and give Suzuki a chance to further showcase his skills off the puck.
Much of the Penguins offense is built around players like Malkin and Crosby’s ability to make those around them better, as evidenced by Rust’s and Guentzel’s transitions from defensive forward and AHL prospect respectively to top-line threats.
If the Habs can keep the stars under control, players like Rust and Guentzel can be left to forwards like Jordan Weal, Arturri Lehkonen, or even AHL forwards like Jake Evans, who play serviceable defensive roles in a “nothing happens when they’re on the ice” scenario.
It remains to be seen what the Canadiens’ strategy is as their training camp progresses, and it’ll be interesting to witness how things change as August 1st nears closer and closer. It’s been an up and down season for the Habs in general, but there’s a chance that can all be remedied with a solid performance in this qualifying round.
Next. Max Domi can perfect the third line. dark
If not, look for the Montreal Canadiens to get a solid shot at a 1st overall pick, and Crosby and his fellow Penguins to get some redemption, and finally get the playoff defeat, against his boyhood team.