Sidney Crosby faced off against Connor McDavid for the first time this season.
If not after 2016, then after the 2017 finals were done, everyone could agree that the “Crosby or Ovechkin” debate was dead – besides maybe some Capitals diehards or some Russian nationalists, but even they probably like Malkin more at this point. Ironically, this has maybe played a part in Ovi starting the season at a stellar pace without some of the prior pressures on his shoulders. Regardless of the latter’s performance this season, the NHL has been playing up a new rival for Crosby to take on: Father Time. The Penguins’ captain – affectionately called “Sid the Kid” for the majority of his career – turned thirty years old this offseason, causing many to ask how many more years he can play at the high level we have grown accustomed to seeing. Many have even gone as far as to say that he no longer holds a claim to the title “Best in the Game” because of the emergence of a new young talent in Edmonton: Connor McDavid.
The twenty-year-old phenom has not disappointed through two years in the league, even winning the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP last season after posting 100 points to also win the Art Ross Trophy for leading the league in points. McDavid’s statistical dominance and impressive showing in the playoffs, leading an inexperienced Oilers team to the verge of the Western Conference Finals, commanded the hockey world’s attention and caused many to declare he had surpassed Crosby as Top Dog in the NHL. Some might argue that this is a rash assessment, especially considering that Crosby was no slouch last season, winning the Rocket Richard Trophy for leading the league in goals. Oh and then there was this other trophy he lifted at the end of the year too: THE STANLEY CUP. Not only did Crosby take home hockey’s most prized award – for the second straight year – he also took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs – FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR. Anybody who is ready to immediately start calling McDavid the NHL’s best player should maybe temper their enthusiasm for at least another season, especially if that season could potentially end with Crosby lifting another Cup.
Where you sit on this argument aside, the chance to see these two generational talents go up against one another is an exciting occasion for any hockey fan, and given that they play in opposite conferences, it is an opportunity we will not get to see much of (unless they meet in the Stanley Cup Finals, of course). So on Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, hockey got it’s first chance this season to see Crosby vs. McDavid; Sid the Kid vs. The New Kid; The Next One vs. McJesus. Nicknames aside, let’s look at how they did.
If all you did after the game was look at the basic stat line, this is what you’d see: Crosby – 0G 0A 0P even 5S McDavid – 1G 0A 1P +1 5S
Looking at that, it would be easy to say, “Welp, looks like McDavid won this round.” But then you look at the final score: Pittsburgh 2 – Edmonton 1 (OT). “Welp, looks like Crosby won this round.” To get a clearer picture, we’d have to look a little bit closer. Both Crosby and McDavid took twenty-four shifts last night, with Crosby getting two more seconds of ice time overall. It seems both coaches wanted to use their top players equally, and at the beginning of the game, they even played into fans’ desires by putting them out for the same shifts, so we got to see them play head-to-head. However, after the first few shifts of the game, Coach Sullivan switched the matchups (since the home side gets the luxury of last change) opting to put his third line out against McDavid, which worked out alright until McDavid ended up out there against Malkin and the Penguins’ second line at the end of the game and took advantage by scoring his only goal against the less defensive line of the Penguins.
Watching the game, you could see both stars creating chances for their teams consistently. In the first few shifts where Crosby and McDavid shared the ice, it was Crosby’s line that had the better of the chances, holding the puck more and spending more time in the offensive zone. However, once the game got going, it was McDavid who looked on the verge of breaking the tie on multiple occasions. McDavid set up Yamamoto with an open net on the back door, but the rookie sent the shot across the goal mouth and wide. McDavid and several Oilers took shots at a mad scramble in front of the Penguins’ net as Murray sprawled around on his stomach. Somehow, the Penguins kept the puck out of their net again. But Crosby came back to get his chances too. Crosby set up Conor Sheary for a great chance with a slick pass through two defenders. Crosby stickhandled around defenders for a point-blank shot at Talbot in the second. And then there was the moment that every fan held their breath for as Crosby protected the puck and got around McDavid, but the younger star did enough to force Crosby into a one-handed shot attempt that Cam Talbot saved (don’t discount those one-handers though; Crosby scored on one last year).
Both players got their chances, but it was McDavid that buried one late in the game as he used his speed to escape down the left wing boards and fire a perfect shot to the top corner of Matt Murray’s glove side, sending the game to overtime. In overtime, both coaches went power against power as McDavid and Crosby came out for the first shift of the extra frame. Both players created chances for their teams with McDavid sending a cross-zone pass for a one-timer by Draisaitl into Matt Murray’s glove, followed up by Crosby’s one-handed backhand with McDavid riding his shoulder. However, it was the next shift with neither player on the ice that ended the game as Evgeni Malkin sent Phil Kessel on a breakaway, and the latter snapped a shot to Talbot’s blocker side and gave Pittsburgh the victory.
Sometimes it seems unfair that individual talents are judged based on wins in a team game – just ask Alex Ovechkin or LeBron James – but in a game where the ultimate goal is to win a championship, it is hard to not look at the players that make that happen regardless of what their stats look like. Right now, Crosby has the advantage because he can step off the ice and still watch Evgeni Malkin or Phil Kessel or even Kris Letang go out and do something spectacular to win a game. McDavid has to hope that Draisaitl or Caggiula or Letestu can develop into those roles, but until they do put together a team to knock the Penguins off the top of the NHL, the argument for McDavid as the best will always fall short at the names engraved on the Stanley Cup. Just as the Penguins’ win last night was not an indication that Crosby’s individual performance bested McDavid’s, Sid’s three Stanley Cup titles have more to do with the entire team than his own personal achievements. But at the end of the day, winning is what matters, and Crosby seems to always find a way to win. Will McDavid? Until he does, it’s Crosby’s world.
- TAGS
- Connor McDavid
- Sidney Crosby
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