The Pittsburgh Penguins superstar center displayed a crazy amount of wherewithal in order to score a game-tying goal late in the third period against the New York Rangers, and from behind the goal line no less.
Let's take a quick look.
With Matt Murray on the bench in order to get an extra attacker on the ice, the Penguins - down by a goal - looked to create a scoring chance.
Crosby (87) stationed himself to the left of Henrik Lundqvist (30), and Evgeni Malkin (71) positioned himself near the boards to assess his options.
Malkin attempted to work the puck to a cutting Patric Hornqvist (72), but it went off the defender's stick and up into the air.
Hornqvist batted it down with his glove, swung and missed on a shot attempt, and watched as the puck headed towards Crosby.
Crosby knew he was unable to play the puck off the unintentional hand pass, and therefore waited for Kevin Shattenkirk (22) to touch it.
He immediately regained possession and threw a shot toward the front of the net.
Fortuitously, it bounced off Lundqvist and into the back of the net.
Now, to be clear, it wasn't Crosby's intention to bank the puck in for a goal.
Crosby's thought process with his goal: "Just throwing it in there. We've got an extra guy, it was pretty scrambly, puck was bouncing" -MC
The brilliance of this play was his realization that Hornqvist was guilty of a hand pass and the patience displayed in waiting for Shattenkirk to touch the puck before he did, lest the play be whistled dead - leading to a faceoff outside the offensive zone at a crucial juncture.
The goal, which can be seen here, was scored at 19:04 of the third period, and allowed Pittsburgh to push the game to overtime, where Malkin scored the game-winner.
It was also Crosby's fourth through seven games this season.
Nikita Kucherov is on one heck of a roll to start the season.
The Tampa Bay Lightning winger scored Tuesday against the New Jersey Devils, keeping his early-season goal streak alive and putting himself alongside one of the greatest in hockey history.
History made. ☑️
Kucherov joins Mario Lemieux as the only two players in the last 30 years to score in each of their first 7GP. #GoBolts
Prior to Kucherov and Mario Lemieux, the last two players to score in each of his team's opening seven games were Mike Bossy and Wayne Gretzky.
Decent company for Kucherov to keep.
It's a feat few have achieved in in the modern era.
Nikita Kucherov became the sixth player in the NHL's modern era (since 1943-44) to score in each of his team's first seven games. #NHLStatspic.twitter.com/p17Eg42hoa
A seat is open at the negotiation table if the Calgary Flames are willing to talk.
That's the stance from Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi, who was re-elected for a third term Monday, and who remains open to discussing a new arena with the club.
"As I've said for many, many weeks, the city has never left the table," Nenshi said in his victory speech Monday, per Donna Spencer of the Toronto Star.
"When they're ready to come back to the table and have a discussion understanding this mandate from Calgarians, we are ready and willing to have that discussion with them."
Both sides have since disclosed their proposals to the public, with the city offering a three-part model to be funded by the team, public dollars, and ticket surcharges. The Flames' proposal included a $275-million payment from the team.
With negotiations at a standstill, the Flames now consider the file closed, stating the team will play out of the 34-year-old Scotiabank Saddledome for as long as it is deemed feasible.
When the Arizona Coyotes square off against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, they will do so with a little reinforcement in the lineup, as agitating winger Zac Rinaldo is set to make his season debut.
It marks Rinaldo's first game since Feb. 28, 2016, a contest in which the former Boston Bruins forward delivered an illegal hit to the Tampa Bay Lightning's Cedric Paquette. Rinaldo was subsequently suspended for five games following the play.
It appeared as if it would be Rinaldo's final NHL game. The 27-year-old spent all of last season with the AHL's Providence Bruins and hasn't skated in the big leagues since the incident.
But another shot in the NHL came this offseason, when Rinaldo inked a deal with the Coyotes. The expectation was that Rinaldo would toil in the minors, but a strong performance in training camp saw him earn a spot with the big club.
Rinaldo was scratched through Arizona's first five games of the season, effectively - and finally - serving his five-game suspension. The ban now lifted, combined with a slow start to the season for the Coyotes, has left the team looking for a spark. Enter Rinaldo.
"He's an energy guy," Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet told reporters Monday. "He's the type of guy that can get some life on the bench and he doesn't hurt you on the ice."
"A year and a half is like the longest five-game suspension in NHL history," Rinaldo said. "You can laugh about it, I laughed about it, but now it's not a laughing matter.
"I worked my (butt) off to be here and I'm going to stay here. I'm going to do whatever I can every day, every practice, and every game to stay here."
Eriksson was forced to leave Saturday's game against Calgary after being bumped into the net by Tanner Glass. He remained on the bench for a bit but was eventually ruled out of the remainder of the contest with a knee injury, the extent of which is now known.
In the second season of a six-year deal that carries a $6-million cap hit, Eriksson recorded one assist in four appearances this season. He underwhelmed last season as well, with 11 goals and 13 assists in 65 games.
The Canucks are already without defenseman Alex Edler, who's also been shelved four-to-six weeks with a knee injury of his own.
There's always at least one manager in fantasy hockey leagues willing to make an overreactive trade after losing their Week 1 matchup. The first player on their team they'll be looking to move is the player they had relatively high expectations for but has gotten off to a cold start. This is where the savvy and patient managers can take full advantage.
Here are five potential bargains:
LW/RW Rick Nash, Rangers
Nash has gotten off to a forgettable start, with just one goal and no assists in six games. It wouldn't take much to convince his fantasy owner the 33-year-old is washed up.
However, not only is Nash on pace for a career high in shots on goal, but those shots have been of high quality. He's tied for first in the NHL with nine individual high-danger scoring chances at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick.
He isn't in his prime, but with his goal-scoring pedigree, he's bound to start capitalizing on his chances.
C/RW Charlie Coyle, Wild
If you have an IR spot available, look to acquire Coyle. The 25-year-old forward is out six-to-eight weeks, so his trade value is essentially at rock bottom.
Coyle was off to a strong start before going down with a right fibula fracture. He was playing a career-high 18:35 per night and had two assists and eight high-danger scoring chances in just three games.
If he can pick up where he left off when he returns, he could be a top-75 player for the remainder of the season. Given it would likely cost next to nothing to acquire him, it's worth the risk.
C/RW Jordan Eberle, Islanders
Many thought Eberle would flourish with the Islanders alongside John Tavares, but that potential has yet to materialize, as he has no goals and three assists thus far.
In fact, the trio of Eberle, Tavares, and Anders Lee have combined for just four goals and four assists, but their line ranks sixth in the NHL in expected goals at five-on-five, per Corsica.
Moreover, Eberle is averaging what would be a career-high 3.17 shots per game. The points are bound to start flowing for the Isles' prized offseason acquisition.
D Justin Faulk, Hurricanes
Faulk has been held without a point through Carolina's first three games, so his owner may be willing the pull the trigger on a deal. However, the 25-year-old is is averaging a career high in ice time, and an astounding - yet unsustainable - 4.67 shots per game. Nonetheless, the fact that he's throwing tons of pucks on net is encouraging.
From 2014-15 to 2016-17, he ranks sixth among NHL defensemen in goals, despite missing 25 games over that span. The Hurricanes are as good as they've ever been in the Faulk era, and he's poised for a huge season.
G Devan Dubnyk, Wild
Dubnyk is off to a rough start, as he currently owns a 3.71 goals-against average and an .894 save percentage. That shouldn't last long, though.
The towering netminder ranks fifth in the NHL with an expected save percentage of 91.78, meaning improvement is on the way.
Over the past three seasons, only Carey Price owns a better save percentage, so expect Dubnyk to turn things around.
We've been spoiled by Alex Ovechkin's talents over the years.
The Washington Capitals captain has surpassed the 50-goal plateau seven times, but last season hit his lowest goal total in a full 82-game season since 2010-11.
However, he still scored 33, and Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri thinks it's incredible that having a season of that ilk can be considered a down year.
"It seems like if the guy scores 35 goals it’s an off year for him, which is absolute insanity," Kadri said, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.
Early in the 2017-18 campaign, Ovechkin looks to be on his way to another 50-goal season (123 at his current pace). He's scored a league-high nine goals in six games - or better than a quarter of the way to 35 - so it doesn't look like Ovechkin is heading for an "off year" this time around.
Over the course of the 2017-18 season, theScore will run a series of interviews with former players in which they recall some of the greatest moments of their career. This edition focuses on Kris Draper, who won four Stanley Cups in a 20-year playing career spent almost exclusively with the Detroit Red Wings.
On what he remembers of his first NHL game:
It was actually memorable. I made the Winnipeg Jets as a 19-year-old; it was definitely not expected. I was going into my first pro training camp, I had no expectations whatsoever, and all of a sudden things were going well for me.
I started looking at some newspapers and I saw some positive articles, so I was kind of thinking I might have a chance to make this team. And I made the opening roster, and the first game was in Winnipeg against the Maple Leafs. I grew up in Toronto and grew up a Leafs fan as a kid, so my mom and dad jumped on a plane and came out. It was unreal.
I know I couldn't sleep; I certainly remember that. I was trying to embrace the moment. And it was unreal. I ended up scoring in my first game, and I ended up getting in a fight in my first game. It was a pretty eventful debut for me. But after that game, I figured out two things: I wasn't going to be a scorer in the NHL, and I wasn't going to be a fighter in the NHL.
On that first career goal:
It was the all-important seventh goal in a 7-1 victory. (laughs)
Pat Elynuik, a shifty right-winger, I remember him coming over the blue line. He kind of cut from right to left and I was coming up, and he dropped the puck. I ended up taking a wrist shot and it deflected off the Toronto defenseman's stick and it ended up beating Jeff Reese for my first NHL goal.
On how the infamous Claude Lemieux hit in the 1996 Stanley Cup playoffs (seen below) affected his play afterward:
(Video courtesy: YouTube)
To be honest with you, that was the only thing I could control from that; coming back and making sure that I played the way that I had always played.
I was a third-, fourth-line player, I was a role player. I kind of had to play on the edge. I knew how I had to play to stay in the NHL, and that was with "controlled chaos," which is how I describe my style of play. That's one thing I wanted to make sure of: That when I came back, I played the same way.
We lost out in Game 6 of the conference finals, so I had the whole summer (to recover). And it was a tough summer; my jaw was wired shut for six weeks, I ended up losing a lot of weight. But when I got back, I wanted to play as many preseason games as possible to get back into it.
It was a tough summer and a tough hit, but in the end I came back and was able to the way I wanted to. That was something very important that I wanted to do. I couldn't hesitate, I couldn't think about it, because otherwise it was going to limit me as a hockey player.
On the biggest trash-talkers in his day:
I would probably say that Kirk Maltby was one of the best trash-talkers. Maltby had some really good one-liners; he frustrated and pissed off a lot of players with the way that he played. I remember hearing Malts chirp a lot.
Steve Ott was really quick-witted and had great one-liners, too. He was a Red Wing last year and I kind of got to get to know him; you could just kind of see that dry humor and quick wit that he had.
Another good one I played with and played against was Sean Avery. I'd say those guys always had a lot of things to say. Those are the type of players that, when you think of the Maltbys and the Steve Otts ... Brad Marchand probably would be a guy now that can frustrate teams with the way he plays and how competitive he is, and he backs it up with the points he produces.
On his favorite referee/linesman story:
So one night we're playing at Joe Louis Arena, and you have to remember: A big part of what I did for the Red Wings involved taking a lot of faceoffs. I took a lot of defensive zone and penalty kill faceoffs, took a lot of faceoffs at the end of the game. And in this game, (linesman Ray Scapinello) kept tossing me out. And I'm looking at him and saying, "Scampy, you can't do this to me."
And he said, "You gotta stop cheating. You gotta stop cheating." And I kind of told him, "I'm not cheating. I'm anticipating the drop, but you gotta drop the puck faster. We gotta work together here." And he kind of smiled a little bit.
So there was a stoppage in play, a commercial break, and (Red wings head coach) Scotty Bowman asked Scampy, "What do you have against Draper? Why do you keep throwing him out? That's what he's gotta do for us." And I was a little worried about the answer that was coming. And Scampy says to Scotty, "I'm going to tell you right now: He's the biggest cheater on faceoffs I've ever had."
Scotty kind of looked at him, and looked at me, and said, "Draper, you're a cheater! He said it! You're a cheater!" And the three of us are going around and around in this conversation, and Scotty's like, "The biggest ever?" And he's asking about all the games Scampy has worked, and Scampy says, "The biggest ever!" And I'm just thinking, "This is not good."
On what made him such a good defensive forward:
My best years were playing with Kirk Maltby and Darren McCarty; we were known as the "Grind Line." We played against Wayne Gretzky when he was with St. Louis, we played against Sakic, Forsberg, Modano, Nieuwendyk ... we had some really big responsibilities. And we knew that if we could shut down the other team's top line, we were going to put our team in a good spot.
Everyone wants to be the go-to guy, but I knew what my role was with the Red Wings. And I embraced it. I had Steve Yzerman and Sergei Fedorov ahead of me, so I had to find that third- and fourth-line role. And from there, I knew that if I could do it right and be the best at it, I would be the kind of player Scotty Bowman trusted a lot.
On the greatest game he ever played:
One of my greatest moments was when I scored the overtime winner against Washington in Game 2 of the 1998 Stanley Cup Final.
It's kind of a funny story: We're at the pregame skate, and we're up 1-0 in the series, and I was actually the only forward who hadn't scored a goal all playoffs. And Scotty being Scotty, he comes up to me in the pregame skate and says, "Are you ever going to score a goal?" And I had a big smile on my face, and I said, "Tonight, Scotty. I'm gonna get one tonight for you."
I remember it was a wild game. We ended up down 5-2 going into the third period and we tied it up 5-5; Doug Brown scored late to tie it up.
It's something I'll never forget. Igor Larionov comes on a line change. Brendan Shanahan and Marty Lapointe are still out on the ice. Shanny causes a turnover and the puck comes to the half-wall on the right side, and Marty, being a right-handed shot, just fires it toward the net as I'm driving back post.
The puck ended up right on my stick. It was a bang-bang play, and I put it in the open net past (Washington netminder) Olie Kolzig. And I remember doing a little bit of a dance, a little bit of a celebration as everyone comes out.
So we're skating off the ice, and sure enough, Scotty's standing right by the door, and Scotty being Scotty, he asked, "Who got the goal? Who got the goal?" (laughs) And I said, "Scotty, I told you I was going to get one for you tonight." And he gave me a little pat on the back.
On the most underrated player he encountered:
It's tough to call Joe Nieuwendyk an underrated player because he's in the Hall of Fame, but the way Joe played the game, the guy was just a winner. He was a big, strong center, played a 200-foot game, and his hockey sense was unreal. He always had a knack to score big goals or make big plays.
When you think of the Dallas Stars, you think of Mike Modano. When you think of the New Jersey Devils, you think of Martin Brodeur. But those teams won Stanley Cups with Joe Nieuwendyk - and he brought so much to those hockey teams. You can't call a Hall of Famer underrated, but to me, you just didn't hear a lot about Joe Nieuwendyk.
On what he remembers from his last NHL game:
It's funny, because I didn't realize it was going to be my last game. Even though I was 39 at the time, I thought I had more hockey in me; I guess that's the way that we're wired, we feel we're going to play forever.
It was Game 7 against San Jose in the 2011 playoffs. We were down 3-0 in the playoffs and ended up forcing a seventh game. For so many reasons, you want to win this game because you want to extend your season, because you're one step closer to the ultimate prize. So that was my preparation going into that game - another opportunity to extend our season.
I was never thinking it was going to be my last game played in the NHL. And then you lose the game, and everything kind of sets in. And to be honest, I still thought I was going to be playing the following year. I take my usual 10 days off and start training, and then the realization started to come that I might never play again. And it hit me hard.
For me, and my family, we were hockey players. My wife loved going to the game, my kids loved that their dad was a Deroit Red Wing. So this decision wasn't just about me retiring - it was impacting my entire family, from my mom and dad driving from Toronto to Detroit hundreds of times to watch me play to my wife getting the kids ready and putting on their Draper jersey and watching me play at Joe Louis Arena.
It was a very, very emotional time for me and my family. I'm almost glad that I didn't know it was my last game. I probably would have been an absolute mess going to the rink and would have been a non-factor in the game.
On his favorite visiting arena:
It has to be Maple Leaf Gardens. Being a Toronto kid, I remember wearing my Don Mills Flyers black leather jacket and going down to watch the Leafs play with my dad. And all of a sudden, I'm in an Original Six rivalry, Detroit-Toronto, playing at Maple Leaf Gardens.
To me, the most memorable rink to walk into was Maple Leaf Gardens, just because I did it so many times as a kid, and then here I was, playing for another Original Six team, so many great games and rivalries, and I was a part of it. So walking into that rink was the best for so many reasons.
On his favorite Stanley Cup playoff story:
In 2002, we started against the Vancouver Canucks. We lost both games at home and left right after we lost Game 2. And this was the 2002 team that, from the day training camp started, if we didn't win the Stanley Cup, it was going to be a major disappointment.
I just remember when we got on the bus, there was a huge cavalry of Vancouver Canucks fans, following the bus, heckling the bus, they had the brooms out, yelling "Sweep!" and all this stuff. I remember when we got to the hotel, we all met in a conference room and had a team meal and a casual conversation; it was players-only.
Stevie just kind of came up and said, "You know what? All we gotta do is win Game 3. We do that, we're back in the series, and we go from there. We're gonna win Game 3, and we're gonna win this series." And it was just the way he said it. There was no doubt that this was going to happen. And sure enough, we end up winning Game 3.
When you think about one of the greatest leaders in the game ... Stevie Y comes in and addresses the team, and it was just how he said it. It's something that I never forget, sitting in that hotel and having that team meal. And sure enough, we won Game 3 and went on to win the Stanley Cup.
Rapid Fire
The best players he ever played with: Steve Yzerman, Pavel Datsyuk
The best players he ever played against: Wayne Gretzky, Joe Sakic
The best goaltenders he ever faced: Ed Belfour, Patrick Roy
With so many games on the slate, here are the three you can't miss:
Maple Leafs vs. Capitals
It was arguably the most intriguing matchup of the first round last spring, and the Capitals and Maple Leafs will renew acquaintances when they go head-to-head for the first time this season.
The Capitals got by the Maple Leafs in six games in a series that saw every game decided by a single goal, including five that needed overtime.
Both clubs boast top-10 offenses to begin the year, including the Maple Leafs who are averaging a league-best 5.2 goals per game. Meanwhile, the Capitals have the league's top-three scorers in Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Alex Ovechkin.
This one could be a track meet.
Lightning vs. Devils
At first glance, the Tampa Bay Lightning battling the New Jersey Devils in mid-October might not seem that appealing, but given the starts the teams are off to, this is certainly a game to keep your eyes on.
Both are thriving after missing the playoffs last season and lead their divisions, as the Lightning pace the NHL with a 5-1-0 record, while the Devils have gone 4-1-0.
The Devils are getting great contributions from rookie defenseman Will Butcher and wunderkindJesper Bratt. Meanwhile, Nikita Kucherov is a man possessed, having scored in each of the Lightning's first six games.
Don't sleep on this one.
Canucks vs. Senators
Erik Karlsson is back.
After enduring the season's first two weeks without him, the Senators welcome their captain back when they host the Vancouver Canucks. Karlsson will make his season debut after recovering from offseason foot surgery.
The Canucks are off to a mediocre 1-2-1 start, while the Senators have weathered the storm of being without their top player and are one of two clubs - the Los Angeles Kings being the other - that haven't lost in regulation this season.
With a 3-0-2 record, the Senators sit tied with the Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings for second in the Atlantic Division and with Karlsson back in the fold, it'll be interesting to see how much better the club can be.
