It was a debut in Western Canada for Sidney Crosby and the star attraction did not disappoint, well, ok if you’re an Oilers fan you’re not to thrilled with the 4-2 to the Pittsburgh Penguins, but watching the artistry and flow of Sid the Kid must have brought back a few memories for long time Oiler observers.
Crosby provided the sparks for a third period comeback that saw the trailing Pens take the lead and build on it on their way to their first victory on the current Western Canada swing. Three different Penguins scored on three passes from Crosby, as he seemed to have the ability to see the play develop and anticipate where the puck should be. An ability that certainly left Oiler goaltender Dwayne Roloson at a disadvantage, not to mention causing a few problems for his over stressed defencemen, all of whom seemed to have trouble controlling Crosby’s plans of attack.
Edmonton never seemed to recover from the sudden change of direction in the game, the Pens had all the momentum through the third period, allowing Marc-Andre Fleury to settle down a bit, after a couple of periods of adventuresome goaltending. Fleury who seems to be getting his game back on track after some early stumbles, had a few close calls which could have seen the Oilers up by four goals before Crosby got untracked.
However, judging by the ease that he seemed to control the third with, we suspect that whatever the Oiler margin might have been, Crosby would have scaled it and come out the winner.
The Crosby tour continues on Thursday when the Pens head down the road to Calgary, they wrap up the great march west on Saturday night with a Hockey Night in Canada feature attraction from GM Place in Vancouver.
Where the Kid will go up against The Franchise, Roberto Luongo, perhaps at the top of his game in recent weeks will be ready for the show, in what is shaping up to be a most anticipated hockey game on the West Coast.
Crosby provided the sparks for a third period comeback that saw the trailing Pens take the lead and build on it on their way to their first victory on the current Western Canada swing. Three different Penguins scored on three passes from Crosby, as he seemed to have the ability to see the play develop and anticipate where the puck should be. An ability that certainly left Oiler goaltender Dwayne Roloson at a disadvantage, not to mention causing a few problems for his over stressed defencemen, all of whom seemed to have trouble controlling Crosby’s plans of attack.
Edmonton never seemed to recover from the sudden change of direction in the game, the Pens had all the momentum through the third period, allowing Marc-Andre Fleury to settle down a bit, after a couple of periods of adventuresome goaltending. Fleury who seems to be getting his game back on track after some early stumbles, had a few close calls which could have seen the Oilers up by four goals before Crosby got untracked.
However, judging by the ease that he seemed to control the third with, we suspect that whatever the Oiler margin might have been, Crosby would have scaled it and come out the winner.
The Crosby tour continues on Thursday when the Pens head down the road to Calgary, they wrap up the great march west on Saturday night with a Hockey Night in Canada feature attraction from GM Place in Vancouver.
Where the Kid will go up against The Franchise, Roberto Luongo, perhaps at the top of his game in recent weeks will be ready for the show, in what is shaping up to be a most anticipated hockey game on the West Coast.
The Globe and Mail--Crosby Show doesn't disappoint
The Globe and Mail--Crosby conjures the Oilers of old
National Post--Crosby dazzles Edmonton faithful
National Post--Crosby has memorable debut in the house Gretzky built
Edmonton Journal--The Kid runs wild
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