With 12:39 left in regulation, Boston's Brad Marchand was called for cross-checking Trevor Daley, putting Pittsburgh on the power play. As defenseman Brian Dumoulin took a slapper from the point, Sheary fell to one knee to perfectly deflect the shot past Tuukka Rask to give the Pens a 3-2 lead.
"I don't know how it got out to 'Dumo'," Sheary said. "He came down the side there and I saw him see me, so I started to stay back door and he found me with a great pass."
The goal was Sheary's second point of the night, his first coming on an assist on Justin Schultz's opening goal. The multi-point night gives the 24-year-old nine points (4G-5A) in the last eight games.
It was also a goal reflective of what we usually see from Crosby.
"It's funny," Sheary laughed. "We actually talked about it this morning on the power play. I had the chance to do that last game and I kind of stayed straight up, so I went down on this one. The guys were laughing about that."
Even the captain gave props to the confidence he has watched his linemate gather over the last year.
"I think his confidence has grown," Crosby said. "He trusts whatever he sees out there. He doesn't need to force things. That just comes with playing, I don't think you can do anything to change that besides play and gain confidence that way and being thrown into the situations he has right away has probably fast tracked the learning curve.
"That should build confidence there in itself. Being put in those situations, that builds trust with the coaching staff and he's showing it by making some big plays for us. That's a credit to him and his ability to raise his level right away."
As a Massachusetts native, it was also a chance to score on his childhood favorite team.
"I have tons of friends and family watching," Sheary said. "It's easier to get up for these games and especially against the hometown team you used to root for. It's fun to play and it obviously worked out for us tonight."
