Fans Turn on Sidney Crosby After Eye-Opening Stats Go Viral
Photo credit: Edit from Daily Faceoff
Penguins' Sidney Crosby seems to be having a rough start to the season, statistically speaking, and some fans are beginning to turn on him on social media.
Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin scored a goal and an assist each, as Tristan Jarry recorded 31 saves for for his 22nd career shutout as the Pittsburgh Penguins blanked the San Jose Sharks 3-0 on Saturday evening.
Anthony Mantha also scored, with Pittsburgh improving to 4-2-0 in the early portion of the new season.
Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 24 shots for the Sharks, who were unable to defeat Jarry. San Jose, which was 20-50-12 last year, is the NHL's sole team without a victory at 0-3-2.
Crosby scored the opening goal midway through the second period, tipping home Kris Letang's point shot, with Mantha making it 2-0 minutes later. Malkin capped the victory with an empty-netter in the final seconds.
But not everyone is pleased with Crosby's work despite his production. Some Penguins supporters on X have also been critical of the captain's underlying metrics.
Sidney Crosby leads all forwards in turnovers this season
They mention he now leads all forwards in turnovers, has been poor in the faceoff zone (winning only 42 of 87 draws), has the worst expected goals-for percentage on the team, and has been on the ice for a 108-77 shot attempt difference at five-on-five.
"He leads all forwards in turnovers, is 42/45 in the dot, he has the worst xGF% on the team, and with him on the ice, the pens are getting pumpled in shot-attempts, 108-77."
One fan believes he's getting it done in terms of goals and assists, but statistically, the Penguins are worse off when he's on the ice.
Crosby has a history of beginning seasons quietly before unleashing the world upon us as the games begin to move along.
For now, the Penguins will take the points in the standings happily and hope their captain finds a way to improve on those underlying metrics soon enough.
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