Crosby set to return against Rangers
Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins passes the puck in front of Brandon Dubinsky of the New York Rangers. (Nov. 29, 2011) Credit: Jim McIsaac
In a revival fit for Broadway, Sidney Crosby comes to town Thursday night and laces up his skates for the first time since Dec. 5. The locale couldn't be more dramatic: Pittsburgh has won nine straight and is hot on the heels of the Atlantic Division-leading Rangers, who are ahead of the second-place Penguins by six points.
A regulation victory swings the pendulum toward the Penguins, cutting the gap to four points, with a game in hand. "If we win, it puts a whole new spin on it. It'll be playoff-kind of hockey," Pittsburgh coach Dan Byslma said Wednesday.
The presence of No. 87 undoubtedly will be felt, from the extra media descending on the Garden, to the jeers from the Rangers faithful, to Crosby's talents on the ice. On Nov. 21, when he returned from an earlier hiatus taken because of concussion symptoms, he had two goals and two assists against the Islanders.
"I'm just excited to get started," Crosby said Wednesday. "It's always a big stage playing in certain buildings and that's one of them."
Rangers captain Ryan Callahan, who has been sidelined with a bruised foot but might return Thursday night, said the Blueshirts would be aggressive.
"I think you've got to go right at him . . . you can't back off at all," Callahan told WFAN as the Rangers enjoyed an off-day. "If you give him time or space he's going to make you pay. It's great for the league that he's back; at the same time we've got to treat him like any other superstar and finish our checks."
With both teams locks for the playoffs, seeding matters. The reward for finishing No. 1 is a first-round series against the No. 8 seed in the East; the second-place finisher would end up fourth, drawing a tougher matchup against the No. 5 seed.
Byslma intends to move Crosby to the point on the power play, but no matter where he is deployed, he is dangerous. In 38 games against the Rangers, Crosby has 54 points: 20 goals (eight on the power play, three game-winners) and 34 assists (14 on the power play). In his only appearance against the Blueshirts this season, on Nov. 29, he recorded two assists in a 4-3 Rangers win.
"For us to get another two points would be huge," Callahan said, "with their recent success and how close they are to us in the standings. It's a game we'll get up for and it's a little bit more important to us."
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