Sidney Crosby won't be in Nashville on the weekend, but he's playing like an All-Star.
Arguably the NHL's best player, Crosby was left out of the 3-on-3 All-Star tournament this season, but he's quietly moving his way up the NHL's scoring leaders list. He scored again Tuesday night, his 17th goal of the season, and his 41 points move him into a tie for 11th in scoring (22 players have 41 points or more).
Crosby's goal Tuesday was the game-winner, as the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated New Jersey 2-0, tying the Devils with 55 points, but taking the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot from the gentlemen from Newark because they've played two fewer games.
After a slow start, Crosby's been, well, Crosby. He's been trending in the right direction since November.
| Month | GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | 11 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| November | 12 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| December | 13 | 4 | 8 | 12 |
| January | 11 | 8 | 6 | 14 |
"He's playing inspiring hockey," head coach Mike Sullivan said about No. 87. "He's playing with passion."
Since Dec 19 Ovechkin 15 games 13 points. Crosby 15 games 20 points.
— John Steigerwald (@Steigerworld) January 27, 2016
Crosby has points in seven straight games: five goals and five assists. He deserves to be at All-Star weekend, but the Penguins have a lot of work to do in the unofficial second half, so he'll gladly enjoy the time off.
