Crosby reaches 1,500 points, Penguins fighting for playoff spot

DETROIT --When we talk about Sidney Crosby, we often talk about his place in NHL history. But when the Pittsburgh Penguins captain talks about himself, well, he usually doesn't talk about himself.

Especially at a time like this.
After reaching 1,500 NHL points with two goals and an assist in a 5-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday, Crosby had little to say about the milestone.
"It's a nice number," the 35-year-old said. "I mean, obviously, the most important thing is the next game and our situation here, the urgency and desperation. That's what I'm thinking about more than numbers."
The Penguins have made the Stanley Cup Playoffs for 16 straight seasons, the longest active streak in the NHL, winning the Cup in 2009, 2016 and 2017. They haven't failed to qualify for the playoffs since 2005-06, when Crosby was an 18-year-old rookie.
That streak is in jeopardy.
The Penguins enter the final week of the season one point behind the Florida Panthers and New York Islanders for the two wild cards into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
Each has two games to go. The Penguins host the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday and visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. The Panthers host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday and the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. The Islanders visit the Washington Capitals on Monday and host the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday.
That's what matters most to Crosby.
After going seven games without a goal -- and getting three assists in that span -- he came up big in a big game yet again Saturday.
First, he pounced on a turnover and backhanded the puck into the net with 2.9 seconds left in the first period, giving the Penguins a 2-0 lead heading into the locker room for the first intermission.
Next, he drove to the net and got off two shots, and forward Danton Heinen batted in a rebound to give the Penguins a 3-0 lead at 11:16 of the second.
Finally, he received a pass from longtime teammate Kris Letang at the top of the left circle on the power play, just as the fans started an old chant that goes back to when the Penguins and Red Wings met in the Stanley Cup Final, Detroit winning in 2008, Pittsburgh in 2009.
You know the chant. We don't need to spell it out.
"I didn't hear it," Crosby said, smiling. "It means I was into the game, so it's a good thing."
A split-second later, he snapped the puck into the net, quieting the crowd, giving the Penguins a 4-1 lead at 3:01 of the third and reaching 1,500 points. Longtime teammate Evgeni Malkin joked on the bench that he had touched the puck, and Crosby had a laugh.

He leads Pittsburgh with 91 points (33 goals, 58 assists) in 80 games.
"He seems to have just an incredible ability to play his very best when the stakes are the highest," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "I think that's why the Penguins have been able to accomplish what they've been able to accomplish here over the last 'X' amount of years that Sid's been playing.
"And 'Geno' and 'Tanger,' you could speak to those guys as well. These guys, they've just built an incredible legacy, and they have an appetite for more. That, for me, is the biggest thing that I admire about them, is that they're not resting on their laurels. They're hungry for more, I think they show it through their performance."
Crosby became the 15th NHL player to reach 1,500 points, and he did it in the sixth fewest games (1,188), behind Wayne Gretzky (620), Mario Lemieux (747), Marcel Dionne (1,078), Jaromir Jagr (1,165) and Phil Esposito (1,166).
That's incredible.
"That speaks to the milestone and the impact that he's had on the game," Sullivan said. "You know, he's not only one of the greatest players of his generation, he's one of the greatest players of all time."
But that's not what he's about.
"I think you understand pretty quickly that we don't sign up for tennis or golf," Crosby said. "It's a team sport, and that's what we like about it, and that's why I love the game. So I think that's a mentality that I think you learn pretty early on when you start playing, and you try not to forget that, I think."
When Sullivan says Crosby, Malkin and Letang want more, he isn't talking about points. He's talking about championships.
Crosby continues to set the example with a chance to play for the Cup again on the line.
"He just personifies everything that's right about hockey, that's good about our sport -- the way he carries himself, his humility," Sullivan said. "But I think his performance speaks for itself, his legacy speaks for itself, and his appetite to win never seems to diminish.
"He's as hungry as he's ever been to win a Stanley Cup."