Through the first two rounds, it looked like the Pittsburgh Penguins were advancing through the postseason in spite of their best players' struggles. But in their first elimination game Tuesday, it was the stars who led the team to victory in Game 6 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Veterans Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang both scored while Evgeni Malkin recorded an assist - the first time all three found the scoresheet in the same game since their series-clinching Round 1 win over the New York Rangers.
Crosby, the Penguins captain - after scoring his third game-winner of the Eastern Conference Final - deflected the attention onto his team when asked about the top players' production, in a post-game interview.
"Yeah, we know the circumstances. I think you go out there with the mindset of playing desperate, and I think it's pretty natural when you're in this situation. I think we have confidence in the whole group, no matter who it needs to be to step up.
"I think everyone played great tonight. Everyone contributes in their own way in a big game like this. You don't have to do anything special. You've just got to do your job. I think that got us this far going into tonight."
After a strong first round, Crosby, Malkin, and Letang all went cold as Phil Kessel powered the offense in the second round against the Washington Capitals. Now, one game away from the Stanley Cup Finals, all four are contributing as the Penguins eye the franchise's fourth championship.
Playoff production
| Player | Round 1 vs. NYR | Round 2 vs. WSH | Round 3 vs. TBL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crosby | 3G 5A | 0G 2A | 3G 2A |
| Malkin | 2G 5A | 1G 1A | 1G 3A |
| Letang | 1G 4A | 0G 3A | 1G 1A |
| Kessel | 3G 3A | 2G 4A | 4G 2A |
With the red-hot Kessel also finding the back of the net in Game 6, the star winger realizes how important it is to have all of the Penguins' top players firing on all cylinders.
"We're trying our best out there," Kessel told reporters of the leadership group. "We're trying to get it done. Here tonight, we were able to get a couple in there and hopefully we can do it in Game 7."
