For Penguins’ Crosby, Winning Changes Everything–And Nothing

Did you see Sidney Crosby’s face and hear his tone after he scored his 600^th career goal? “Yeah, it’s not enjoyable,” the longtime Pittsburgh Penguins captain said, exuding dejection because the milestone came in a 6-1 stomping by the Utah Hockey Club.

That was less than two weeks ago. The Penguins have not lost since. They are riding a season-best four-game winning streak going into back-to-back games Friday against the Rangers in New York and Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs at home.

As even-keel as Crosby is and as much as he’s been through ups and downs in a career well into its 20^th season, he allowed Thursday that the winning streak has had the expected and desired effect on the locker room.

“When you do things right and you’re getting rewarded, it’s a little bit easier to do it,” he said after the team practiced at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. “That being said, I think winning is difficult. It’s tough to be consistent, but I think it’s definitely given us a bit of a lift, seeing some results. It’s come different ways, but we found ways.

“Hopefully, that’s something that we can keep building on here.”

After all the blown leads – they blew a large one Tuesday in their most recent game but hung on to down the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers 5-4 in overtime – and self-inflicted errors that defined much of the season, their four-game run has them a game under .500 and (barely) out of the cellar in the Metropolitan Division.

It’s not just the wins that have improved things in the locker room. The Penguins have tried various combinations and have brought up players from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and a now couple of new faces have seemed to stick and bring a spark – particularly defenseman Owen Pickering and trade acquisition Phil Tomasino.

Crosby leads the team with 26 points in 27 games and is tied for second with eight goals. As team captain has some responsibility to set examples and help guide his teammates, but he’s fully on board with the type of assists the youth can provide.

“Yeah, I think that’s really important,” he said. “I think whether it’s the energy, the enthusiasm, the competition within the team for spots — I think things like that, it pushes everyone in a healthy way. A combination of those things is important.”

That doesn’t mean Crosby is doing cartwheels, even if his 37-year-old bones could easily pull off acrobatic moves. He’s been around too long to ignore the bigger picture, which includes 55 more games and a steep hill toward a playoff spot.

“I think you just come every day and try to enjoy it,” Crosby said of his outlook. “Even when you’re losing, you’ve got to try find positives and come out here and work.

“I know how difficult it is to win, so maybe I appreciate it a little bit more, but I think just being around the rink and having that feeling when you’re winning is definitely a lot better.”