Written by Kevin Allen at USAToday.com
In addition to performing his duties as a superstar, captain and key man on faceoffs, Sidney Crosby apparently can also foretell the future.
Right before winning a game-deciding overtime faceoff, Crosby predicted the faceoff win, a perfect drop to Letang and the fact that rookie Conor Sheary would be wide open for a pass. The only detail he didn’t provide was that Sheary would rip a shot high into the net at 2:35 of OT to give the Pittsburgh Penguins a 2-1 win and a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final. The series now shifts to San Jose for Games 3 and 4.
“(Crosby’s) a smart guy with a very high hockey IQ,” Penguins winger Carl Hagelin said. “That’s why he’s the best player in the world.”
It’s not necessarily a high percentage move to draw up a play seconds before execution.
“It usually doesn’t work out like that when you draw up a play or even talk about a play,” Sheary said. “I think they kind of lost me when I came off the wall. I had a lot of time to shoot.”
The Penguins have been a better faceoff team (50.7% to 46.7%) than the Sharks in these playoffs, and Wednesday’s win was an illustration of why that is important.
Crosby was 17-7 in the faceoff circle in Game 2, one day after he stayed late at an optional practice to work on his faceoffs. He beat San Jose’s Joel Ward on the draw.
“He is inspiring for our group and I know the players recognize the effort he is putting in,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said.
According to Sullivan, the reason for Crosby’s success is more about sweat than skill.
“His work ethic is unmatched,” Sullivan said. “He has an insatiable appetite to get better and be the best.”
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