Crosby concerned with playoff push, not stats for Penguins

CRANBERRY, Pa.--Sidney Crosby is more concerned with helping the Pittsburgh Penguins qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs than he is with individual success.

"It's all about that right now," said Crosby, who has 86 points (30 goals, 56 assists) in 63 games this season, which ranks fourth in the NHL. "It's so important right now that we get points. I think we feel like that urgency and that level that we need to find is so important this time of year."
Entering their game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TVAS, ATTSN-PT, NHL.TV), the Penguins have 79 points and hold the first wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference. Crosby has 25 points (seven goals, 18 assists) in his past 12 games to help Pittsburgh (35-22-9) win seven of its past 11 games (7-2-2). They are tied in points with the Montreal Canadiens and two ahead of Columbus.
Crosby had a goal and two assists in a 3-2 overtime win against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday to become the 48th player in NHL history to reach 1,200 points. It also extended his streak of games with one goal and at least two points to five, tied for the longest multipoint streak of his 14 NHL seasons.

The 31-year-old center had multiple points in five consecutive games twice last season (Nov. 24-Dec. 2, 2017; Jan. 5-17, 2018), once in 2010-11 (Nov. 5-13, 2010) and once in 2006-07 (Nov. 13-28, 2006).
"I want to produce," Crosby said. "I want to create things out there and help our team win. That's my motivation."
Sixty-two of Crosby's points (20 goals, 42 assists) have come at 5-on-5. His .984 even-strength points-per game ranks ahead of Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov (.970), who leads the NHL with 108 points (31 goals, 77 assists).
Crosby's production has helped bolster the Penguins' first line. He has assisted on each of Jake Guentzel's four goals in the past two games and has had an assist on 21 of Guentzel's team-leading 33 goals this season.
The secondary assist on the first of Guentzel's two goals Tuesday was Crosby's 1,200th point. He reached 1,202 with the primary assist on Guentzel's game-winner at 2:44 of overtime.
"With him, you think it could happen whenever," Guentzel said of Crosby's recent surge. "It's just the type of year he's had. He's carried the ship for us. He's doing it day in and day out. So it's definitely been cool to watch."
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan has juggled his forward lines throughout the regular season but for the most part, has kept Guentzel with Crosby for a simple reason.
"When we put them together, they had instant chemistry," Sullivan said. "It's just gotten better with time. There's familiarity with just playing together for so long. They're two guys that just think the game on a real high level. So they've developed that chemistry, and it just gets better with time. They're a dangerous tandem."

Forward Jared McCann is the current left wing with Guentzel shifting to right wing the past two games. In those two games with Crosby, McCann has one goal and two assists.
McCann said his perception of Crosby as a player has changed since being acquired in a trade with the Panthers on Feb. 1.
"It's completely different," McCann said. "You learn to appreciate him a lot more. The work ethic he has. The skill he has. I feel like not a lot of people in the world have that. He definitely works hard every single day. He works on things that not a lot of people work on. He's definitely a great guy to learn from."
Crosby's defensive game was something McCann found particularly motivating and has been a point of discussion for Sullivan throughout the season. Sullivan has consistently said he thinks Crosby is the best 200-foot player in the NHL, leading Pittsburgh's forwards at plus-24.
Although Crosby has averaged 1.37 points through 63 games this season, his highest average since 2012-13 (1.56), Sullivan said his increased time on the penalty kill (36 seconds per game, up from 15 seconds per game last season) has been just as eye-opening. The same could be said for Crosby's backchecking and willingness to block a shot.
"Five-on-five, his numbers are off the charts," Sullivan said. "It's certainly a credit to his to commitment to playing on both sides of the puck. He plays against the top players every night. For the most part, he's outplayed them. He helps us defend leads.
"He's on the ice when we need a goal. We use him in every single situation, every critical situation. He's up to the challenge."