Crosby in peak form for Penguins as he approaches 1,500 career points

Sidney Crosby remains as relevant as ever for the Pittsburgh Penguins as he closes in on another NHL milestone.

The center has 1,494 points (548 goals, 946 assists) in 1,180 games. At 35 years old, Crosby isn't limping toward 1,500 points. Instead, he has excelled with 85 points (31 goals, 54 assists) in 72 games this season, tied for 13th in the League.
"In your first year, you want to prove that you belong," Crosby said after a 5-2 win against the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday. "Even at 35, I still think you want to prove that you belong because it is a younger League."
Crosby is the oldest player in the top-25 scoring this season. He is one of three players older than 30 in the top-20, along with San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson (32 years, tied for 10th with 88 points) and New York Rangers forward Artemi Panarin (31 years, 16th with 82 points).
"You just want to continue to make sure that your game is where it needs to be," Crosby said. "That's what I've tried to do."
The Penguins captain will look to inch toward becoming the 15th NHL player to reach 1,500 points in a key matchup against the Washington Capitals at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ABC, SN NOW).
Wayne Gretzky is the all-time NHL points leader with 2,857 points (894 goals, 1,963 assists). Paul Coffey is 14th with 1,531 points (396 goals, 1,135 assists).
Crosby is 96 points behind Phil Esposito, who is 10th with 1,590 points (717 goals, 873 assists). He is second in Penguins history, behind Mario Lemieux, who is eighth all time with 1,723 points (690 goals, 1,033 assists).
Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin is second among active players, trailing Crosby, and 16th all-time with 1,481 points (821 goals, 660 assists).
But history isn't the current focus. It's more about the immediate future.
The Penguins (35-27-10) have lost five of their past six games (1-5-0) and are clinging onto the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the Florida Panthers. The Capitals (34-31-8) are three points behind the Panthers and four behind the Penguins, who have 10 games to play, the same as Florida and one more than Washington.
This recent skid has put the Penguins in jeopardy of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2005-06, when Crosby had 102 points (39 goals, 63 assists) in 81 games as a rookie. Their streak of 16 consecutive playoff appearances is the longest active in professional sports.
Crosby has done his part, scoring in each of the past two games. He reached 30 goals in an 11th season, tying Lemieux for the most in Penguins history, at 1:11 of the second period against Colorado on Wednesday.
The goal was a backhand off Crosby's uniquely straight stick blade. Crosby took a pass from Jake Guentzel and puck-handled around Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard to the inner edge of the right face-off circle, ringing a shot into the upper left corner of the net.

"I remember those types of goals when I was coaching against him way back when," Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. "He's got a nasty backhand. It's really deceptive. It's hard to pick up. You don't know where it's going. I think he's got one of the best backhands in the League.
"To suggest that it's a vintage Crosby goal, I would say, 'Yes.'"
Crosby is the only player in NHL history to score 30 goals in a single season at 18 years old and over the age of 35.
"I think the most important thing for me is to try to be consistent," Crosby said. "If that reflects that, great. But just love to compete and I want to be as consistent as possible. So that's probably the most important thing."
Consistency has defined Crosby since being selected No. 1 by the Penguins in the 2005 NHL Draft. He has averaged at least one point per game in each of his 18 NHL seasons, second all-time behind Gretzky (19).
"It goes without saying, he's one of the best players in the world for a reason," Penguins forward Jason Zucker said earlier this month. "He's our captain. He's our leader. He's been phenomenal for us all year."
In the annual NHL Players' Association poll released Wednesday, Crosby was voted the NHL's most complete player for a fourth straight season, getting 30.1 percent of the vote.
To Sullivan, that 200-foot approach is why Crosby has won the Stanley Cup three times (2009, 2016, 2017), and will remain a threat to win it a fourth.
"I think he has a mature game. What I mean by that is he understands the importance of playing on both sides of the puck," Sullivan said. "He understands the importance of the details, most specifically, defensively. I think his offensive game speaks for itself. He can play any game anybody wants to play, offensively.
"I think his defensive game, his play away from the puck, flies under the radar. He's a real complete player. I don't think it's by accident the Penguins have won as many Stanley Cups as they have with a player like Sid in the lineup."